family holidays: elf on a shelf
This is the fourth post in a series about enjoying the Christmas season. Given that tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I can absolutely see how you might be a little peeved to be reading about a Christmas elf. That’s cool. You can come back on Friday while you are in line at Target.
The Elf on a Shelf is everywhere these days. It makes me kind of sad to see all of the products on which our elf’s face have been plastered a la Frozen. My kids, of course, think it is the coolest thing ever. “Look, Mom! I just saw Felix!” I can't even check Pinterest while they are paying attention. Felix is EVERYWHERE.
I still love our elf. I’m thrilled to introduce you to Felix Navidad.
Our family adopted Felix in December of 2011. Our youngest kids were then only one and a half, so our elf’s antics were completely lost on them. That year Felix was still feeling us out and sometimes forgot to move at all. Perhaps he felt a trip back to the North Pole was only warranted every few days. Perhaps he wondered if we would lock him out.
In his second year with us, Felix began to be a bit of a trickster. The kids still talk about the day that Felix wrapped the toilet with wrapping paper.
Felix was in rare form last year. He had tricks up his sleeve and found the best hiding places. He even travelled with us to New York City.
I know what you are thinking. What a lot of work it must be for Felix to move around like he does. But, really, Felix’s job is worth the effort. He is definitely loved by all. It is so much fun to have an elf in the house, especially when your elf gets his hiding spot/pranks list together (just like Santa) in advance of his arrival at our house. Every morning with Felix, I see the magic of the Christmas season in my kids’ faces. I wouldn’t trade Felix for the world.
Felix tries his best to work with our advent activity calendar. He has developed some of his own traditions over the years, for example, he always brings the kids pajamas to wear for our Christmas movie night. He also likes to bring the kids an ornament for the tree. He is a big fan of decorating, snowflakes, and playing with other people's toys. Lucky for you, Felix has already shared his schedule with me and I am going to share it with you in case your elf is not quite as type A as Felix.
You might be able to get some hints about how Felix is going to execute his plans here. Just do me a favor and don’t tell my kids what Felix is planning to do. Felix really likes to surprise them.
