also known as the "elf on the shelf". Or in this case the "elf on the bell wreath hanging on the basement door." Or weird little behavior modification aide.
Grandma bought us this little guy last year and we started the tradition. Brooke being the extremely exuberant and imaginative girl that she is, soaked it right up from the beginning.
You read the book that comes with the little guy. You name the little guy. And the story goes that the Elf is sent here to keep on eye on the kids' behavior. You cannot touch or play with him because it will take his magic away. And each night he flies away to the North Pole to give a report to Santa, and returns before we wake in the morning, hiding in a new spot for the kiddos to discover.
It's a lot of fun for Brooke, when we remember to move him.
If we forget, not so much fun. Cocoa made his return this year on Saturday. (Matt says to me while we're playing in the backyard "I had to go to the basement and get out some powdered chocolate" and I looked at him completely bewildered for a good 2 minutes). Sunday night, we forgot to move him. At 7:20 a.m. on Monday morning, Brooke walks into my bedroom with her eyes full of tears. This is the dramatic, long winded story I got as I'm waking up:
"MOMMMMMM. Cocoa didn't move! (sniff sniff). I think he's mad at me. I went down and he hadn't moved and I said Cocoa I'm going to go back upstairs so you have a chance to find a new spot and I did and I came back down and he was still there and I am worried (sniff sniff) that he didn't go report to Santa that i was a good girl and (sniff sniff, wail wail) I think he's losing his mmmmmaaaaaagggggggggiiiiiiccccc!!!!" (deep breath, wail wail, crocodile tears, crocodile tears).
My response. Silence. (oh shit). (that damn elf). (I can't believe we forgot to move him). "Well honnnnneeeeyyyyy....Maybe he just likes that spot and wanted to be there one more day! It's nice and cozy up there on the mantle and he likes looking at the tree and it's by all the Santas and you know how much he likes Santa...!"
"But I told him to move and he didn't"
"Well honey it's not for you to tell him to move. He's magic. He moves so fast we can't even see it happen! He'll find a new spot when he's ready! I bet tomorrow he'll have found a new spot already!"
Fast forward 25 minutes, past breakfast- to the "Getting dressed" part of the morning. Brooke zips off to the bathroom, and Cocoa gets zipped to a new spot. She comes back, gets dressed, notcies nothing. I finally say "Well geez Brooke, your hysterics this morning must have scared Cocoa away because he is NOT on the mantle anymore!!!".
GASP!
Frantic search.
"Mom!! there he is!! Oh Cocoa you good little elf I knew you would move if I told you to."
Sigh. I sure hope we don't forget to move him again. I was mentally exhausted already and hadn't even gotten Hannah up yet. It was definately an 845-in-the-morning-Diet Dr Pepper- kinda morning.
But it is cute and fun. You should get one. It is a great behavior modification tool too.
"Cocoa is watching and waiting to go make his report!!!"
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