I’ve shared that I love all things about Christmas. All things related to the actual meaning of Christmas and those things that take us astray like Santa, cheesy movies and egg nog lattes. As Thanksgiving weekend wrapped up, I found myself having the house already decked out in tasteful holiday cheer.
And then-
I opened one last box and there he was.
Chippy.
Our holiday Elf on the Shelf.
At first I smiled at the familiar face. After all, he really is a charming little guy. Then my head started spinning a bit as I remembered the work I sign myself up for each year as he enters our home. For those of you unfamiliar, Elf on the Shelf is basically an Elf that lives at your house during the Christmas season to watch your kids behaviors during the day. He flies back to the North Pole each night to report that behavior back to Santa. Seems simple enough, right?
Think again.
You see, each night the Elf must move to a different location in your house so that your kids think he really did fly to the North Pole and back.
My husband and I also take it one step further.
Our Elf leaves our children (ages 6 and 3) a note every night. Every. Single. Night. As though I needed one more thing to remember each night. If you are a proud Elf on the Shelf parent, I know you have found yourself lying in bed only to then remember you forgot to move the darn Elf. In my case, it’s forgetting to move the Elf and then needing to write a quick note from the Elf himself to the kids.
Seriously moms, why do we do this to ourselves?
When we were growing up we didn’t have Elf on the Shelf or the dozen other things that have somehow become a norm these days. We ended up just fine, right? I don’t look back at my childhood feeling deprived because I didn’t have an Elf that kept tabs on me each day. I now find myself taking my kids to weekly seasonal activities like Zoo Lights or Botanical Gardens. None of which I ever did until my 20’s when I became a parent.
Maybe I will have more time after the holidays to reflect on the things I pressure myself into as a parent. But for now, I will spend that time thinking of creative places for Chippy to land and what he could possibly have to say for the 20+ sleeps we have left until Christmas.
Moms, are you a parent to an Elf on the Shelf? What is the funniest story you have regarding your Elf? We’d love to hear!
