The Elf on the Shelf: Day 1

I wanted to share with you a little about our Elf on the Shelf. We were given the Elf on the Shelf back on Nov 25th 2009 by Brandon's parents. Our daughter Peyton named our Elf Kevin. She picked the name Kevin because she was on a Home Alone watching binge and of course the little boy in Home Alone is named Kevin McAlester. So Keven comes to stay at our house every year. This is not only a fun tradition but it also has the added bonus of scaring our kids into minding and behaving from Thanksgiving to Christmas. All we have to say is Kevin can see you acting this way and they fall right into line. If you are not familiar with what the Elf on the Shelf is here is a little info that we found on their web site.

Have you ever wondered how Santa knows who is naughty and who is nice? The Elf on the Shelf – A Christmas Tradition is the very special tool that helps Santa knows who to put on the Naughty and Nice list. This interactive holiday hide-and-seek tradition is perfect for children and families of all ages.

The tradition begins when Santa sends his scout elves out to Elf Adoption Centers. Waiting for their families to bring them home, these patient elves hibernate until their family reads The Elf on the Shelf, gives their elf a very special name, and registers their adoption online. Once named, each scout elf will receive its Christmas magic and become a part of the family’s Christmas each and every year. 

Excellent listeners and even better observers, these scout elves are the eyes and ears of Santa Claus. Although they cannot be touched, or else they may lose their magic, the elf will always listen and relay messages back to Santa. Taking in all the day-to-day activities around the house, no good deed goes unnoticed; these scout elves take their job seriously.

Each night, after the family goes to bed, the scout elf uses his magical Christmas powers to fly back to the North Pole. Once there, the elf will make his or her daily report to Santa and visit with elf friends where they will tell stories about their beloved families, play with the reindeer, and of course, sneak some of Mrs. Claus’ cookies!

Before the family awakes each morning, their special scout elf will fly back to their home from the North Pole. However, since these elves like to play games, don’t expect to find them in the same spot!  While some like to hide in the freezer (probably because it reminds them of the North Pole) and others prefer to sit on the fireplace mantle or hang from the chandelier, these elves love to play hide-and-seek with their families.

On Christmas Eve, the scout elf will listen for Santa’s bell and then fly back to the North Pole until the next season, wishing every girl and each boy a Christmas of peace and a year full of joy. 

So that is our little tradition. This is the third year that Kevin has been a part of our Family. The kids love to look for him. He is getting really good at hiding. I am sure with this new house he will have all kinds of crazy new places that he can hide. We will keep you posted on what Kevin has been up to and all the fun we have durring his visit this year.

This is where he was hiding today. What you cant see him? I cant ether so it is okay.

Well here he is on top of the tree.  It took all day for the kids to find him. Right as we sat down for dinner Peyton found him. They were so excited to see that he had found our new house that they hardly ate a thing. This move had them both nervous that he may stay back at the old house and not know how to find us.

If you want to go pick up The Elf on the Shelf I highly recommend it. You can find out all about it and where you can get one on their web site.