Family Corner
By Krystle J Bailey
“Mommy, did you have an elf on the shelf?” asked my eight-year-old son this week, to which I calmly and bluntly responded, “No, Snowflake is a Millenial. Santa just trusted me to behave.”
An estimated 17.5 million Scout Elves, better known as the highly regarded “Elf on the Shelf,” magically find their way into homes worldwide every Christmas season. The legend says that Santa sends a special elf to each family’s home to ensure good behavior leading up to Christmas. Each night, the elf flies back to the North Pole to report his or her findings to the big man but returns before the kids wake to cause a little mischief or inspire a bit of fun. But be careful because if you touch the big-eyed stuffed creature, it will lose its magic and be unable to report to the North Pole, which means there’s no guarantee of making the nice list.
I know, we all agree it sounds a little crazy, yet millions of families continue to welcome their family elf year after year, awaiting the mess and mischief of the season.
My oldest child was born in 2010, three years after The Elf on the Shelf book was released. While I swore up and down there was no way an elf would find her way into my house because Santa knew better than to trust me with such a family “pet,” it has now been ten years since we’ve had Snowflake. My now thirteen-year-old daughter still puts our seasonal friend’s arrival date on her calendar every November.
Snowflake comes every year after Thanksgiving with a bang. Usually swinging in like a wrecking ball or delivering an Advent Calendar, Snowflake, who spells her name with a backward S, has become such a part of our family that I don’t remember a Christmas season without her. Snowflake and I had a deal, though – the mess and chaos are to be kept to a minimum, or there’s no coming back next year!
Snowflake has taught my kids many life lessons, like the importance of the Christmas season, giving, and the value of reading books. She has taken my side a time or two when they were misbehaving, and she didn’t even bother going back to the North Pole. There have been a couple of years that Snowflake stuffed herself into a closed Mason Jar so she could join us on our family adventures and other years when the kids needed a little extra love, so Snowflake stuck around until New Year’s Day.
As much as I love all things Christmas, based on my memory capacity and busy lifestyle, I loathed the thought of an elf on any of my shelves. To my surprise, and with a few North Pole negotiations, I’ve come to love Snowflake’s presence in our home just as much as the kids. This year, my son has been suggesting places for Snowflake to hide the next day and finds himself in perpetual awe that she seems to be listening to his advice. It’s a fleeting magic that won’t last forever, so I relish the Christmas twinkle in their eye when they discover her daily arrival.
Snowflake often gets a little lazy, she can be kind of forgetful, and daylight saving time knocks her for a loop every time. For good measure, here are ten last-minute tips from our personal elf to yours:
- Sneak into the Christmas pile and pull out a book that hasn’t been wrapped yet. Sign it with a special note that the kids will cherish forever.
- Write a note from Santa. Use the Canva app to create North Pole letterhead and print out a message from St. Nick with an up-to-date Nice List report.
- Run a bathtub of marshmallows. All the families have big bags of them this time of year. Find any cup, bowl, or Barbie bathtub and fill it with marshmallows for a tubby experience the kids will love to witness.
- Inspire the kids to read by getting cozy inside of their bookshelf. Don’t forget a blanket to curl up with!
- Build a Lego fort and hide inside – they’ll never find you!
- Start a gratitude jar for the family. Leave a note about being thankful to be their elf and encourage them to write down what they’re thankful for in the morning.
- Steal the ice cream. Eat it all. Leave a trace so they know it was you.
- Leave tiny presents to reward good behavior.
- When they haven’t been listening to Mom, stay put. Don’t move, and definitely don’t go back to the North Pole. Leave a note about trying harder today and treating others with kindness.
- Make a cereal angel on the counter. It’s like a snow angel but with Cheerios.
Snowflake and I would like to wish you a very happy holiday season filled with love, laughter, and a healthy dose of unfiltered Christmas magic.
Email me your elf’s best tips or advice at krystlejbailey@gmail.com.
Krystle J Bailey is a published author, multimedia journalist, copywriter, and content creator. She is a regular Shore Local columnist and digital contributor as well as the booking agent and co-host of the radio show Joe’s Table for Two on WOND. Krystle can be reached at KrystleJBailey@gmail.com
