It is that time of year for our little elf visitors from the North Pole to come back. While my kids have been counting down the days, I have been thinking of ideas for new places for our elves to land and mischief for them to cause.
Some days, we keep it simple, others we go a little more elaborate. But, wherever your elf on the shelf moves, it is clear that these elves go just about everywhere nowadays, except the shelf. This means, even though we have to think of clever new landings late at night, it also gives us the opportunity for our elves to leave a positive impact.
It seems the elf on the shelf gives many parents mixed feelings.
It is fun to see the kids wake up in the morning and search and see them get excited about the magical little elves and their pets. But on the other hand, moving the elf at night without getting caught and remembering to move it, is just one more thing on a busy parent’s to-do list for the day.
Even though moving the elf is one more thing to do, and gives me anxiety as I sneak around my house hoping one of my kids doesn’t wake up, I am trying to embrace it. In all reality, the time that the elves are in our lives is small. Usually for about one month a year, until your kid outgrows it. So, with this in mind, I am trying to enjoy it and have fun while my kids are still young enough to believe in the elf-on-the-shelf magic.
Along with the elves keeping an eye on the kid’s behavior, I also want to make sure the elves have a positive impact this year.
So, our elves are going to be placing an emphasis on being kind, grateful and helping others as well. Our elves will be writing letters reminding our kids to be kind and encouraging them to do nice things for others by giving them ideas on how to help.
Overall, while the elf can keep us busy at 1 a.m. sometimes, I think the trade-off can be worth it when we embrace the limited time we have with our kids at this age and use the elf to help spread joy and kindness to others this time of year. Then, hopefully, that attitude is something that can continue throughout the whole year!
Here are a few pictures of our elves from past years if you need inspiration for your elf on the shelf!
