(Enter disclaimer text) This Christmas, for the first time in our kids’ lives, we’ve introduced an Elf on the Shelf to our family. But there’s also a new friend, too! Her Elf Pets Reindeer Friend has joined us. It’s a new tradition that our kids are eating up.
Time Out! Before you read more about our Elf Pets and Elf on the Shelf, I have to tell you a secret of the mom trade. You’ll need to be prepared to make the Elf do all the things because the kids are hearing about the other cool elves at the school. I suggest you head over to Amazon and pick up this Kindle book of Elf on the Shelf Ideas or this kit with elf-sized props. And if your kids have figured out your handwriting for the notes? This Magical Merry note kit
I’m sure you’ve heard of the Elf on the Shelf holiday sensation. Our elf, Lily, can’t be touched by the kids and she watches over every day to make sure that they are on Santa’s nice list. At night, she “reports” to Santa on how the day went and moves to another location if things are going well. A book came along with Lily, and the kids’ eyes lit up as they heard about her magic and the rules to welcome her into our home.
What you may be unfamiliar with is Elf Pets, a new addition to the Elf on the Shelf family. Elf Pets™: A Reindeer Tradition allows children to help Santa fly his sleigh on Christmas Eve by filling the reindeer’s heart up with Christmas spirit. As the book reads, kids are encouraged to touch, hold, and love on their Reindeer (ours is named Olaf) so that he knows how much hope and joy there really is in the world. (You can read more about this new product and get your own Elf Pet here.)
Since we just have one reindeer, we’re doing a nightly swap of who gives love at night. Evan got to sleep with him first because Arianna had a “naughty list moment” that Lily happened to witness just before bed the first night Olaf joined us. He took his job seriously, worrying that Olaf wouldn’t be warm enough under Baseball Blanket or that Evan’s love for his tags would overshadow his love for Olaf. We worked together to find the ideal snuggly spot and Evan was thrilled.
We’ll definitely be enjoying the magic of Lily and Olaf throughout this season and anxiously waiting to welcome them back next year. If you are joining in the Elf fun this year and need some ideas about how to get creative with your new addition, check out ElfOnTheShelf.com for a photo gallery of ways you can engage your new friends in holiday fun (and make sure you are following along on Twitter @elfontheshelf!). Don’t have one yet but are looking to add an Elf or Elf Pet to your family? We suggest you adopt one now
Happy Magic Making!