My daughters are now 6 and 9. We are still smack in the middle of believing in Santa, the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny and every other mythical creature. And this includes Elf on the Shelf.
This year will be our 5th Elf on the Shelf year.
I can feel Emma approaching the end of the fantasy believing stage of childhood. I’m confident she’ll keep up the charade as long as we want her to – she’s very indulgent of her little sister! But it’s a little sad to realize she’s growing up so quickly.
Now that my girls are older, getting Elfie Sparkle into more fun and interesting hijinks is so much easier. As I talked about in last year’s Elf on the Shelf post, they totally understand the “no touching” rule, but also that it can be broken if Elfie made a big mess. Mom and Dad have the all-powerful ability to move Elfie if and when her hijinks need tidying up in the morning.
This year Elfie is bringing the girls chocolate advent calendars. Every year previously it’s been something a lot more “fun” – Lego or Playmobil advents which take a long time to deal with in the mornings. We have so much Lego and Playmobil so we discussed this with Elfie and she agreed to bring something a little more “classic” this year. We’re hopeful it won’t be so intrusive in our morning routine. Plus, who doesn’t love a little chocolate with breakfast?
Sometimes I really regret starting this “fun” tradition with my girls. There are some nights when I am completely uninspired and so Elfie finds a perch, and that morning’s fun is “who can find Elfie Sparkle first?” The girls like that just as well as when she really gets fun and crazy with some other toys. (Thank goodness!) And it’s getting tougher because bedtimes keep getting later. When the kids were both in bed (and asleep) by 7:30 or 8pm it was easy to create something before I was ready for my own bed. Now I’m lucky if Emma is asleep by 9. All that may mean is that Elfie won’t be found in Emma’s room very often this year. (That’s likely just as well, as you’d never find her amongst the clothes and toys strewn haphazardly all around her room anyway!)
Related: We Have So Much Stuff (& Tips to Get Kids Organized)
Here are a few photos of what our Elfie Sparkle got up to last December. Nothing too wild and crazy, but she did seem to be having some fun!
I hope to practice some artistic photography with Elfie Sparkle this year. I’ll send out the good ones in my email updates. If you’re not on my email list yet, get on there*! Then make sure you’re following me on social media (I’m modernmomslife on all platforms – though I’m not on Snapchat. I don’t quite get that one…) so you can see some more of the fun we get up to with our Elf on the Shelf.
I’d love it if you’d share some fun things your Elf on the Shelf gets up to – and how your kids react to the crazy shenanigans! Be sure to leave me a comment, or send me an email! (modernmom@jessicafoley.ca)
Have fun with your own Elf on the Shelf this season! Here’s an affiliate link to order your own on Amazon: Elf on the Shelf We have the girl (as you can see) but there is a boy available, and tons of accessories if you want to go really crazy!
~Jess
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