Elf on a Shelf...

A couple of years ago, before the craze that Elf on a Shelf is now, we quietly and without all the pzazz, welcomed a little elf into our home.  We call him "Elf".

It was our first year with the boys and to say that Christmas was magical would be an understatement.  I still remember waking up really early just to make sure they hadn't gotten up yet and charged to the living room without me.  I was determined that no matter what, we were going to record that Christmas morning.  Every. Single. Minute. Of. It.  And record it we did.  Although I currently haven’t a clue as to where that video is, I know it has to be somewhere in our house, so that gives me peace.  The  boys were so little (as little as we ever knew them to be at Christmas) and their innocence was so pure.  Man I miss those days.  

Now three years later, like watching the sand in the hourglass slip away, I’m carefully trying to hold onto every last morsel of the wonder their eyes see in Christmas.

Gabriel has been asking me for the last two weeks when Elf on a Shelf was going to come.  Honestly speaking, Dad and I had talked about it and weren't sure if he was going to make an appearance this year.  It takes a lot of "magic" for Elf to find a new spot to enjoy each night and sadly some nights, the mission of finding a new home was too much for little Elfy.  Worrying that his lack of movement might risk the mystery of his magic, we thought about not including him in our festivities this year.  That is, until on a daily basic Gabriel would ask me, when or why our friend the elf hadn't appeared.

And then last night, it happened.  He came!  While Dad and I discussed the holidays and Gabriel’s daily question, the sentence I never wanted to hear was vocalized.  "You know Mom," Dad said, "if you want Elf to come, go ahead.  This might be the last year they believe anyway." Ouch! Oh, the pain! Like a knife to the heart, it hit me.  Knowing dad had no intention of hurting my feelings or causing such an uproar out of me, I think he wishes now he hadn't said it.  But reality sometimes hurts and I know that day is somewhere in our future.  As a true believer in all things Christmas, especially the big man from the North Pole, until I was in 6^th grade (gasp, I know, honestly, that’s when I stopped hearing the ringing from his sleigh bell (reference The Polar Express), I still remember the depressing day); I am determined to stretch out the Christmas magic until we've turned that sand hourglass over at least a few more times.

In hearing the reality of what is enviable being vocalized, my mind was made up and I knew our front door, bedroom window, Jack's dogie door garage door or what ever means Elf uses to enter our house would be open wide waiting for his arrival.  And so he came.  

On Tuesday morning the kids woke up expecting it to be just like any other day, except when Gabriel went to the living room to perform his daily task of opening the blinds, he spotting it.  The Elf on a Shelf book siting nicely on a present waiting to be noticed.  From my bathroom on the other side of the house I heard him shriek, and immediately I smiled knowing he had spotted it.  Seconds later, he was in my bathroom sharing the ecstatic news that Elf indeed had arrived.  He announced, "Mom- the Elf on a Shelf is coming!"  "What?," I responded.  "Mom- Elf is going to be coming in a few days I think. He brought us the book last night!"  Thinking to myself, well that's not exactly the news I was expected, I decided to follow along as he led me to the living room to see the book.  "Wow!" I said, "that is so exciting! But why do you think he isn't here?  Have you looked for him?"  Surprised with my question he said, "No Mom, I haven't looked.  I think he'll come in a couple of days."  Looking up to our stockings hanging above the closet, I saw him.  Now showing just as much excitement as Gabriel did in finding the book, I exclaimed, "Gabriel, I see the elf! LOOK!"  as I pointed up to the stocking hung neatly in a row.  Gabriel screamed and called for the rest of the family who all came running. Gabriel proudly announced that Elf had arrived and made his comfy resting spot in no other place than in Gabriel's stocking!  Gabriel continued in his glee and said, "I guess he heard me asking about him!"  

Over breakfast, Elf was the one and only conversation topic between the boys.  "I wonder where's he's going to go next?"  I wonder if he will tell Santa we were good?   Elf, can you tell Santa I was a Samsung Galaxy S4 phone?"  and on and on and on.  As I raced around the house getting readyto leave the house in our normal mad dash, I pretended to be too busy to listen to their comments.  But the truth is, I was soaking up every. single. minute. of it.  Recording it into my memory, not to be filed away and forgotten but to me reminisced, to be cherished and to revel in for all my Christmas's future, especially after the last morsel of sand from our Christmas Magic hour glass has fallen to the floor.  

As an adult, I've come to love Christmas just as much as I did as a child.  I love everything about it.  From the beautiful Christmas cards we receive that I read over and over, to the holiday music, the cookies, the feel-good, happy ending movies that remind us there are so many good people in this world, and the time spent with loved ones.  What is perhaps one of my favorite things about Christmas is the wonder in the season.  The hope, the faith and the love that the unimaginable is possible.  That Santa really does fly through the air with 9 magical reindeer, that Frosty can come to life with that magic hat and a carrot nose and that a tiny Elf will come to your home, watch over you, report back to Santa how you've been and come back to your house to find a new place to hide.

Oh the wonder of the season.  This truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

Until next time,

Angie