Elf On The Shelf

We have an Elf On The Shelf! I'm kind of surprised we have one, but am happy we have one. Last year we got the Elf On The Shelf book and Lucy really liked reading it. This year when we got the book out Lucy wanted to read it all the time and kept asking if we would get an elf. I was shopping one day and found a plush elf for only $10 and decided to go ahead and get it. (I did not want to spend $30 for the "real" elf....I'm cheap!) I'm so glad I got the elf because Lucy has absolutely loved it! The girls named her Sweetie Pie and she came to live with us on December 2. Lucy has had so much fun finding her each morning and talking to her throughout the day.

My main hesitation with getting an elf was that I didn't want the elf and Santa to be the main focus of Christmas, but really it hasn't been. The whole thing is still kind of lost on Molly and Lucy doesn't seem to be concerned about the Santa factor of the elf, but seems to sincerely love the elf and thinks of it as a friend  :) Lucy has such a sweet heart and loves to tell Sweetie Pie good morning, good night, and tell her what all she did during the day.

I've heard lots of parents complain about the elf and having to move it each night, etc. I know I'm only a few weeks into this whole process and some of those people have been doing it for years, but it's really not that hard! I think a lot of those parents make it hard by having the elf do elaborate things with props, etc., instead of just having it sit somewhere. In fact, one time when I had the elf sit on a table and pretend like she'd been coloring, Lucy got mad because she wants the elf to be up high. That makes my job pretty easy...just put it somewhere up high! And if I forget to move her one night, I really don't think Lucy or Molly would even care!