This is Buddy. He's our elf. This morning, the boys came into the living room to find that Santa had left them a new book to read. I read their new book to them and they heard all about how Santa sends these elves to watch the kids and report back to him on their behavior. Isaiah soaked it up like a sponge and when the story was over, I pointed up to the shelf and said.....
"Wait....what's that??"
And there was our elf. Perched up on the shelf by a photo of Thomas, the jolly little guy smirked and watched over his charges with authority. Yet, there was a very important task left for the boys to do.
They had to name him.
"Isaiah, what should we name the elf?"
"Ummmm....how bout......Elf."
"No sweetie, he needs a name. What's your favorite name in the whole world?"
"Ummmmm.......Caleb."
Caleb is our neighbor's name. He's in Isaiah's preschool class and I thought that might be a bit confusing. After offering up some suggestions like Bob, George, Frank, and a multitude of other choices, the boys finally agreed on a name for their elf.
Buddy.
So, Buddy has arrived at our house. He'll watch over the kids from his spot every day, fly back to Santa at night to report in on whether they're being naughty or nice, and then assume a new spot before the boys wake up in the morning. Isaiah's already decided they're going to race to see who finds Buddy first in the morning.
Just for the record, we don't really do Santa in our family. We are careful to explain and emphasize that Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus. We have compared Santa to Shrek, in that he's a character. That being said, this just sounded like a really fun Christmas activity to do with our boys that I knew they'd enjoy. And if it helps their behavior as a result, so be it!!
Can't wait to share all the adventures of Buddy the Elf with you!
Does your family have an Elf on the Shelf? What have been some of your favorite Elf hiding spots?
