The Return of Elf on the Shelf!

It’s that time of year again!  Last year was the first year we had an elf.  I wrote a letter (thank you Pinterest for the ideas!) and Santa sent him the elf as a package.  You can read about his first arrival here.  Anthony didn’t know he wasn’t supposed to touch the elf until he read the letter…

 

As we began planning for his return, I put together a quick review of some of the mischief that our elf, Clyde, got himself into last year.  It’s going to be tricky coming up with a bunch of new ideas, especially since we are not a fan of elf messes….

We decided it would be fun for Santa to mail the elf each year, so once again a package arrived for Anthony from the North Pole this year! 

Clyde couldn’t wait to get out of the box to find Anthony!!  He was bursting with excitement!  (Sorry, I couldn’t help that one!)


We were out of town for Thanksgiving and when we returned home Anthony found Clyde's box by the Christmas tree in his room as he was getting ready for bed.  He was THRILLED that Clyde had come back to him!  His response was amazing. Worth every single minute we will spend on Elf on the Shelf over the next month. 

Quick note about the tree – it’s decorated completely by Anthony, with ornaments mostly from his birth-grandma and godparents.  He has picked up a few ornaments here and there, and LOVES having his very own tree in his room!

Here’s a few quick iPhone pics of the big discovery.

Carefully trying to open the box without touching Clyde.  We assured him that it was okay if he accidentally touched him!

Anthony was so excited!!  Here he’s giving him a kiss (kissed his fingers and pretending to touch Clyde’s mouth) – Too cute!!

Reading Santa’s letter.  Yes, those are Lego’s in the background.  Just a few…(!!!)

Blurry pic, but you can just see the love he’s giving Clyde as he tucks him in on a bed of tissue paper (that we slid him from the box down onto, without touching him!).

One last photo with the elf!

Clyde, our elf on the shelf has returned, and Anthony couldn’t be happier!!  He talked and talked (and talked and talked and talked) to Clyde that night.  He told him about books, and money (what it looks like, how to use it, etc), his parents, his room, his cats, etc.  He truly BELIEVES and wants Clyde to know everything.  In fact, the next morning when he found Clyde hanging by an ornament in a different Christmas tree (yes, I have a problem!) he was convinced that Clyde had put the ornaments on the tree (we hadn’t decorated that tree yet).  I even caught him getting dressed in front of the tree, telling Clyde all about his clothes, including the purpose of the opening in the front of his boxers!! HILARIOUS!

Two years ago, when Anthony was in kindergarten, he came home and said the big kids on the bus said there was no such thing as Santa Claus. I was so sad! How dare those big kids ruin Anthony's fun. We worked through it, and he kinda believed, but he just wasn't sure. The seed of doubt was planted. We began using the phrase, "You have to BELIEVE to RECEIVE" whenever he asked us if Santa was real. This year, all it took was watching The Polar Express a week ago and bringing back the elf.  Anthony is truly a believer and we are sure going to enjoy it while it lasts!!

Here’s the letter from Santa explaining Clyde’s return-

December 1^st, 2013
Dear Anthony…you are still one of my favorites!
You are so very special! I know that you are filled with love for your parents, all of your family and your friends. I know that you love Jesus too and so do I! That makes us especially special!
Once again I have sent you something special for this Christmas season. Do you remember my dear friend, Clyde? He is an elf from my workshop and he wanted to help you get ready for Christmas again this year.
Do you remember that Clyde tends to be a little naughty? I know that when you continue to make good choices, you will help Clyde learn to make good choices too!
One important thing to remember about Clyde…elves are not exactly the same as humans. He will stay still during the day and because he is magical, you shouldn’t touch him, for fear his magic will leave him. You can talk to him and tell him stories about you and your family – he will hear you and love you. While Clyde is quiet during the day, he loves to play at night after everyone else is sleeping. That’s when he gets in trouble, so you’ll have to watch him carefully!
When I told him that he was going to come and stay with you again, he was so excited! He really loves hanging out with boys – he likes to play rough, and will love to hear about all of the fun things you do.
Have fun, and I’ll be back to pick him up on Christmas Eve when I come to drop off some extra special surprises for you!
I love you very much!
SANTA
 
Do you have an Elf on the Shelf?  What is your favorite elf “trick” to play?

Planning for our Elf on the Shelf

Last year was the first year that our family had an elf – we avoided it for a few years!  As we gear up for the upcoming weeks of elf mischief, I decided to review many of the ways our elf, Clyde, had fun in our home last year.

You can read more about our elf’s first arrival and the letter he came with here. 


One of the things we quickly learned about having an elf was that every mess left behind by the elf must be cleaned up by someone. Sometimes Clyde left a mess that Anthony could help with, sometimes not.  This led us to be very selective, mostly choosing mischief that required very little clean-up afterwards! 

Below are a few of the fun ways that our elf caused trouble at our home last December -
(The majority of the photos are iPhone photos taken in poor evening light, so I apologize for the poor quality!)

Every good elf loves a Christmas movie with popcorn!  Don’t forget the root beer!


Enjoying a bowl of cereal with an extra big spoon while sitting on recently delivered packages!


Reading some books.  Lego books have been a huge hit this past year!


Riding one of our many reindeer decorations…


Checking out Anthony’s stocking!  This photo definitely was taken in very poor light – our woodwork is a dark brown, not orange!


Having some fun with our first formal family photo, taken just a few weeks after we brought Anthony home!


Sleeping in Anthony’s bathroom.  A cotton ball makes the perfect pillow with a washcloth as a blanket!


Oh you know, just listening to Anthony’s iPod!


Enjoying some hot chocolate at the table… (just a cup FULL of marshmallows!)


Getting some exercise in the office – it was the perfect size for him!


Messing with a new sticker book…


Hanging out in a lantern…


Climbing to the top of a tree…


Climbing to the top of another tree!


Opening a package the night of Dec 23rd…


Each morning from December 1st to December 24th, Anthony enjoyed the hunt of finding Clyde and seeing what kind of trouble he had gotten himself into.  Sometimes he thought Clyde was really funny, and other mornings he was really mad when he saw what Clyde had gotten into.

What are some things your elves have done?

Elf on the Shelf {The First Arrival}

We really were not sure if we wanted to jump on the elf bandwagon, however after dragging our feet for years, we took the plunge this year.

After doing some research about how to get started with the elf, I found this site on Pinterest, where an elf was first introduced to a family. I tweaked the letter to better suit our family and we were all set for the introduction of our elf!



When the box arrived on December 1st, Anthony was so excited to have a package from Santa!



When he opened the box he found the elf, a letter from Santa and the Elf on the Shelf book – initially he was not sure what to think about all this. 



Then he read his letter from Santa to us… (letter is shown below)



After reading the letter and learning that he is not supposed to touch the elf, he was a little nervous that the elf had already lost his magic. We carefully set the elf back in the box, carried him inside and dumped him on the table, where he waited for his first night of festivities…



Here is our elf, Clyde, on his first night with us.  Anthony was so excited to find him the next morning!


Here’s the letter that we used:

December 1^st, 2012
Dear Anthony…one of my favorites!
First off, I have to tell you that I think you are very special. I know that you are filled with love for your parents, all of your family and your friends. I know that you love Jesus too and so do I! That makes us especially special!
I want to send you a very special treat for this Christmas season. This elf is a dear friend of mine. He is from my workshop and he is coming to help you get ready for Christmas. I would like for you to give my friend a very special name, a name that your family can call him, as he will be with you until I visit again on Christmas Eve. You should know that he tends to be a little naughty. I know that by making good choices, you will help your elf learn to make good choices too!
One important thing about this elf… elves are not exactly the same as humans. He will stay still during the day and because he is magical, you shouldn't touch him, for fear his magic will leave him. You can talk to him and tell him stories – he will hear you and love you. While he is quiet during the day, he loves to play at night once everyone else is sleeping. That’s when he gets in trouble, so you’ll have to watch him carefully!
When I told him that he was going to come and stay with you, he was so excited! He really loves listening to the piano, so maybe you will get a chance to play some music for him.
Have fun, and I’ll be back to pick him up on Christmas Eve when I come to drop off some surprises for you!
I love you very much!
SANTA

P.S. Please read this book, to learn more about my friend!

The elf will improve little boy's behavior, right?? We are definitely hoping it does! Especially for our 1st grader who is already asking if Santa is real. It's way too early for that discussion - I was definitely not prepared when he came home asking about Santa...

Do you have an elf at your house? What types of tricks has he been playing for your kids?