Elf on the Shelf :: Merry and Bright-ish

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‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro’ the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a … wait, did we move the elf?

The Elf on the Shelf has brought joy to so many children, and it really adds to the Christmas magic for our little ones. Some families have multiple elves, some elves bring goodies or leave notes, and others are mischievous and play naughty pranks. In my humble opinion, these elves need to just go on. 

I am willing to bet money that just about everyone reading this has a beloved elf. We have one elf and his name is Nathan Scott Phillips Buddy. Settling on one name rendered too much for my son Nixson so we used them all, but we call him Buddy for short. For the last five Christmases, Buddy appears the day after we put up the tree. My kiddos are not morning people, but for the few weeks Buddy is around, these children wake up at the crack of dawn just to see where he is. It’s a lot of fun.

zip lining    

Kids, leave the room. ‘Cause it’s about to get real. 

The elf is fun. Yeah, okay … it’s fun for about a week. Waking up hearing your kids running around the house saying, “Where is Buddy today?” only to realize you forgot to move him, it’s a terrible feeling and not fun at all. Every child knows that elves lose their magic when touched, so if Buddy doesn’t move, my kids want to know who touched him. I can’t tell you how many times I’d forget to move him. Oh, the ridiculous stories I’d come up with. “He suddenly developed diabetes from eating too much candy, Kids”.

Burned Buddy getting Bandaids

When they started asking around about elf medicine, I knew it was time to remember and re-locate him. I actually set an alarm on my phone just to remind me! There are nights my husband and I will be in bed and we do paper-rock-scissors to determine who is getting back up to move the elf. Let me tell you, I miss the days of my brother and his wife coming and setting up fun displays for the kids to find. When left in my hands, Buddy gets strung up to the kitchen light fixture and subsequently burns a hole in his leg from the light bulb. That was a devastating morning, full of tears, and I do not recommend putting your elf near lights. 

I tend to run out of ideas and look online for inspiration. Pinterest is great, but also full of subtle reminders that some of us stink at this. I feel like it takes talent to be terrible at this game, and I am incredibly talented.

I am all on board for making this season more merry and bright for my love bugs, but sometimes we have to settle for merry and bright-ish. And that, my friends, is okay because one day Nixson, Lily, and Amelia will be grown and they will be able to laugh at the elf memories and how their mother tried.

Tell us, how do you feel about the Elf on the Shelf?

 

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Lindsay D
A native to the Birmingham area, Lindsay is a retired professional ballerina. She spent her time training and performing with prestigious dance companies around the country. Now, she is holding down the fort in Alabama, Lindsay lives with her loving husband, Ian and three children Nixson, Lily and Amelia. You’ll find Lindsay sharing her love for dance, as a ballet instructor; and in between the delicate in’s and out’s of being a wife and mother, she manages to squeeze in some time to sweat it out on her yoga mat. An active member of her church, Lindsay lives her life with unwavering faith and love for the Lord. Hoping to spread a little joy and laughter, Lindsay likes to share her life journey and stories from a comical point of view. Striving to live life fully by finding laughter in the chaos.