Elfie Magic

Am I alone in thinking the Elf on the Shelf is a little creepy? 

Is it a great idea?  YES.  Do I wish it was my idea?  UM, SO MUCH.  Does it work?   Pretty darn well.

But look at that thing.  Look at those laughing, mocking eyes.  Look at the way it sits, in judgement, legs crossed just so.  Always with a mischievious twinkle in his eye.  My husband says it's scary like a clown.  And clowns are creature you either love or hate.  There is no in between with clowns.

We've been visited by the elf-that-you-must-name-but-never-touch (Elfie -- don't ever think my children are not original or creative) for 4 years now.

The first year, although the kids loved, loved, loved it, Little Meems would freak out any time she thought it was looking at her.  Which was all the time.  That was the year she was three.  SheWe almost didn't survive it.

Now, it's a tradition that they look forward to with a unique combination of excitement and dread.  The other day, Elfie showed up on our doorstep during a get-yourself-dressed-or-you'll-go-to-school-half-naked crisis.  Little Meems and her little brother stood at the top of the stairs with their bottom jaws on the floor.  How did it know?  Their older brother, W, roused himself from the sofa just long enough to take a look and beat a hasty retreat into the other room.

Perhaps the novelty has worn off?  Perhaps it has lost its charm?

The truth is, now that they're older I think they find the idea of Elfie moving around in the house while they sleep, finding the best place to spy on them a little unsettling.   

Once, they loved little Elfie.  I think they still do.  "He sees you when you're sleeping...he knows when you're awake...."  Elfie is a physical manifestation of the magic of Christmas.  In this, the age when kids seem to figure things out all too soon, he explains how Santa KNOWS.  The tree is great and all, but until Elfie comes, Christmas time isn't REAL in this house. 

Even if the reality causes the occasional nightmare.

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