I've spent the last couple of days with no Internet and a sick kid...BOO!!! And I took a little trip to NOLA for a conference. I haven't been to Bourbon Street since my college days and ohmiword...it's nothing like I remember. I met lots of sweet teachers, got my bread pudding & red beans and rice, and spent time with one of my favorites...
Now I'm back and I have the rest of the holiday season to spend with my family and I plan on doing just that! Soaking up every minute of the season with the people I love the most :) And now that my internet service is restored, we'll get started with Christmas Week! Didn't quite get off to the start I had planned, but oh well :)
Now let's talk mischeif.
We welcomed our mischievous little elf into our home about 5 years ago. Over the last five years, I've realized this little trickster sure is the cause for quite a bit of controversy.
You either:
A) Hate the elf and keep him far away from you and your family.
B) Think he's too creepy for Christmas
C) Feel like it's cruel to tell your kids the elf is watching them {I mean, after all, they should want to behave on their own merit, right?! If you're using him as leverage, you're doing something wrong as a parent, right?!}
D) Want to punch all the "bored moms with nothing better to do" in the throat for going to such elaborate lengths to position the elf in such ways that make you feel like a slacker
E) Have feelings about the elf that can only be explained through expletives
F) Love the idea, but not the trickery...ain't nobdy got time to stage the elf and pick up his mess
OR...
G) You're all about getting elf'd up...bring on the creepy faced little nugget and all his elf'in shenanigans!!!!!!
Let me just tell you that I've pretty much experienced all of the above.
For the last few years, I fall into category G. I am that "bored" mom with "nothing better to do" than place my little elf into mischievous situations every (ahem...ALMOST every) night before I go to bed.
And I do it for two simple reasons...
They get SUCH a kick out of him!!!! They anxiously wake up every morning and scour the house for his hiding places. They can't wait to see what crazy thing he does next. Sometimes our elf doesn't move and the boys typically assume he's too tired to fly. We try not to make a huge deal about it. Our elf is for FUN. He's become one of our favorite Christmas "traditions" {can I count him as a tradition?!?!?}
He doesn't go back to Santa and report...he just flies back to the North Pole to rest and give Santa hugs, drink syrup, and play reindeer games. And when the holiday crazies set in, I'm not ashamed to admit that I use him as leverage..."do y'all think y'all should do that?! Y'all don't want Elfabet to tell Santa tonight, do you?!" ...but those times are few and far between. Not because they're angels...lawd, no. But we've always wanted him to be just something fun...and magical... for the boys. He really does make our holidays extra magical. Just one of the fun little things for my boys to add to their Christmas memories :)
Our elf's name is ELFABET. My oldest named him when he first arrived at our house. That's a teacher's kid for ya ;) Here are a few things he's done over the years. Maybe he'll give you some new ideas?!?! Or prove how bored I really am?!?! Or maybe you just want to punch him in the throat.
Elfabet arrives every December 1st and brings the boys breakfast, random trinkets, and pajamas straight from the North Pole (aka: North Pole Breakfast). Here's what ours looked like this year...
It looks like it took a lot of time to set-up, but I swear it took a total of about 5 minutes and DONE! The centerpiece stays the same throughout the season so that was already there. Elfabet brings in paper plates and napkins so Mom doesn't have to worry about the dishes and he stuffs snow covered donuts into a little tin bucket for the boys to devour. He's so very considerate :)
Everything you see here is a product of the Dollar Spot at Target. I hear that's where all the elves shop this time of year. He brought the boys Christmas coloring books, a little reindeer stuffie, chapstick, Santa playing cards, a Rudolph notepad, candy canes, advent calendars, a hot cocoa packet, and a bell....he also brought the boys the movie The Polar Express that he found for $5 on his Black Friday shopping excursion. He's thrifty, too. He tries to bring the boys a new Christmas movie every year.
In addition to those things the boys absolutely don't need and will certainly become the least played with items in the house, he also brought them jammies. He brings a new pair of Christmas jammies every year. He didn't realize that their jammies are actually part of a family set, so he'll be bringing mom & dad their pair tonight so that we can all match on Christmas morning :) And they're still on sale (thank you, Target!!!!)
Below are the elf ideas I shared with you last year, but before you get to those I wanted to share a few things I remembered to take pictures of last year and show you what he was up to last night!
These were, by far, the boys most favorite to date!!!
Last night Elfabet got a hold of my phone and went around the house snapping elfie selfies with all of us sleeping. He left the boys a note (and some cookies) telling them to look through the camera roll. If you could've heard their laughs this morning, ohmiword. Best alarm ever!!! They were in hysterics! He even changed the wallpaper on my phone!!! Sneaky son of a gun.
This is what he got into last year that had the boys in stitches...
Left to right:
He packed the boys a nutritious lunch full of syrup, chocolate syrup, icing, sprinkles, and junk food. All the essentials for a delicious meal. And one night he couldn't quite make it to the bathroom in time so he left a little mess on our coffee table. SO disgusting and so hilarious all in the same breath. I live in a house full of boys and the potty humor even makes me laugh :)
And finally there was one night he decided to help himself to some cookies, but he realized how awful those tasted and left a note for the boys letting them know he didn't like them at all. Silly Elfabet! Dog biscuits are for DOGS!! Hahahaha
1. Elfabet always arrives with a North Pole breakfast. He brings Christmas socks, Christmas jammies, a Christmas book, and a Christmas movie. And candy canes, too :) The menu always consists of hot chocolate and snow covered donuts.
2. He got into mommy's jingle juice.
3. Drinking syrup in the pantry...after all, it's one of the 4 main food groups :)
4. He turned the milk green...and my husband refused to drink it (and we wonder why my oldest is so picky?!?! ;))
5. He rode a reindeer into town and didn't want to get off.
6. He loves sugar and processed food as much as we do!
7. Bless. He's stuck outside!!!
8. Reading to his Smurfs. Smart little fella.
9. He strung a clothesline from the Christmas tree to the drapes. Then he hung up the boys underwear and himself...upside down! This was one of their favorites!
10. Drawing a picture of he and the boys. Ha.
11. Drawing faces on the boys in their Santa picture. This is the one that scarred my youngest...FREAKED him right the heck out. He pretty much screamed...then cried...and the picture came down. This is when I was feeling like option E above.
12. Wrapped the tree with toilet paper. I felt like option F and decided this wouldn't be something we do again...once was enough :)
13. Elfabet is a big fan of The Office, so he made himself a bowl of marshmallows and some hot cocoa while he watched.
14. "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."...singing while wrapped up in Christmas sheet music. See what I did there?!
15. Taking a bath in a sink full of marshmallows. When I woke up, my boys were helping themselves to a few for breakfast.
16. Stuck under a glass in our cabinets. He stayed there for a couple of days.
17. The boys were worried he wouldn't follow us to Indiana for Christmas, so he wrote them a letter telling them he'd be there. Reassurance :)
18. Another ride on the reindeer...he likes riding in style.
19. Watching "Elf" under the covers :)
20. He got into the leftover Halloween candy...and then we had to throw it all away {thanks, Elfabet!}
21. He made a shoe mountain and climbed to the top.
22. Fishing for goldfish in the potty. With a candy cane. Landon's personal favorite.
23. Made himself a little TP hammock in between the boys' stockings.
24. Coloring a little something special for the boys.
25. It was a particularly rough day at school for me, so Elfabet hopped in a cop car and pulled over a school bus :)
26. Even Elfabet knows the real reason for the season. He stayed here for a few days, too.
27. A marshmallow message to remind the boys why we celebrate Christmas.
28. Ziplining on tulle right for the tree.
29. He hung the boys undies on the tree. They laughed like crazy, and then they were all, "are you gonna take those down before people come over?!?!?!" Ha.
30. He was tired of coming up with ideas, so he hung upside down from the chandelier.
31. Telling Santa what the boys want for Christmas.
32. He hung the boys Christmas pajama pants from the stocking holders. This was the year the boys would walk by the display and run their hands along the pants. Then the stocking holders fell over and all broke. That was a last for that idea. {feeling like option E again...dang elf!!!!}
33. Okay. This one was a family favorite. We all laughed pretty hard. Elfabet stuffed himself inside of a roll of toilet paper and rolled down the stairs. Hahahaha.
34. He set out the M&M's for our Christmas cookies and decided to eat a few, too.
35. See boys, it IS cool to do chores!!!!! However, please don't use Soft Scrub on my mirrors.
35. A little Christmas camouflage.
36. Reading under the Christmas tree. We recycled quite few ideas :)
37. Sack races with the other stuffed animals!
38. I don't even know where to go with this one. Mr. SPouse was all, "why would a Purdue guy do that to Elfabet???" Ha.
39. Instead of hanging from the chandelier, he hung from a wreath and dropped down a line of candy canes.
40. A little underwear swingin' next to the Christmas cards.
41. Elfabet likes chalk art, too!
If these ideas are lame, head on over to my Elf'd Up Pinterest board and see what I've been pinning over there! A few new...and pretty darn funny...ideas!!
Tune in tomorrow to read more about our Random Acts of Christmas Kindness and grab a printable calendar, RACK tags, and MORE!!!!
These are amazing. I laughed forever! you are so creative and I am stealing all of them!
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