My youngest daughter still believes in the impossible magic of Christmas. She believes wholeheartedly in Santa and our Elf on the Shelf who is named Evie. Evie has become a very real member of the family. Even when she fails to move or stays in the same position for days on end, my daughter makes up reasons why she hasn’t moved.
I secretly hope that by accidentally not moving the elf, she will come to the conclusion that the elf is actually Mom and Dad. That hasn’t been the case.
My oldest daughter figured out the truth about all our mythical characters, Santa, the elf, the Tooth Fairy, when her questions became too complicated. My husband finally told her the truth but he forbade her from ever ruining it for other children. My youngest still perpetually believes and wakes up every morning in an almost cringe worthy excitement to see where the elf has moved and what she quite possibly has brought for her.
Ugh! There is so much pressure to move that silly creature! When we first brought her home, she surprised the girls with brand new Christmas Pajamas and little presents throughout the days leading up to Christmas Day. She left notes and even brought a doll house one year. With every year though, her gifts have become less elaborate and the places she moves to have become less unique.
I’m proud to say she has never pulled any pranks, did anything inappropriate, wrapped up entire bathrooms in Christmas wrapping paper, pooped out Hershey kisses or frosted a toilet seat. Really! What parent actually wants to clean up a mess like that, let alone spend an hour on such an elaborate set up? We have a difficult enough time keeping the house clean!
When she grew more lazy, often times staying in the same place for a week or magically moving in the middle of the day, my daughter started writing her notes, asking for replies in the hope that it would convince her to move on a regular basis. So here I am, writing out little notes in reply, just so the magic isn’t completely ruined for her. In my sock drawer I have hidden gifts that she has left for the elf. Seriously, the drawer is filling up!
She is also convinced that the elf has the ability to give her whatever she wants which has ranged from an I-Pad, a tree house, a hover board and gifts that she never wrote on her Christmas list. This has led to my stories and lies growing more elaborate as well. Right now, she believes that I have a direct line to Santa and the elf and that she is most definitely not getting a tree house or hover board.
The entire Elf on the Shelf tradition has caused my husband and I to become liars and perpetuate a myth that just isn’t true! I have literally woken up in the middle of the night to wander out, half asleep and move that rosey-cheeked invader from one location to the next just so she won’t be disappointed. This cute little tradition has gotten out of control and yet I’m still trying my best to make the magic real for her.
Childhood is such a short time. I had a teacher once tell me that working with children is like being Peter Pan. You never grow old! That’s what my husband and I are doing by keeping the magic alive, we are encouraging childhood that will be gone in the blink of an eye. Magic is real in the minds of a child and what a wonderful thing that is, to believe in the impossible, to look at life in wonder. Reality will eventually settle in and that magic will slowly disappear. This is why we’re keeping the magic of the elf alive. Why not allow her one more year or maybe even two to believe in something so innocent? Why not allow her a few more years of childhood?
