Elf On A Shelf

Sarah and Jeff have started a Christmas tradition involving an elf on a shelf. The elf observes each day and determines if the boys are good or bad. He leaves each night and reports back to Santa. In the morning when he returns he is in a new position and the kids have find the new location. It is essential that the kids NOT touch the Christmas elf. Here is a letter from the website that gives some background on this neat tradition.

From My Family to Yours,

This charming tradition began for our family when my children were very small. Like most children through the ages, they wanted to know how Santa really knew who was naughty or who was nice. Their answer, as in my own childhood, came in the form of a small pixie-elf.

The first time the elf arrived at our home, my children officially adopted him by giving him a name. Each year he would arrive around the holidays, usually at Thanksgiving. His sole responsibility was to watch the children's behavior and report it to Santa each night. The next morning after the children awoke, they discovered the elf had returned from the North Pole and was now resting in a new and different place. My children would race each other out of bed to try and be the first to spy him in his new position.

Over the years the tradition was perfected and rules were introduced. For example, to better preserve his mystique the children were not allowed to touch him but talking to him was a different matter all together. My children shared many secrets with the elf, and while he was under strict orders not to talk to them, the elf was under no such orders where grown-ups were concerned.

Unwittingly, the tradition provided an added benefit: it helped the children to better control themselves. All it took was a gentle reminder that the "elf is watching," for errant behavior to be modified.

I never dreamed this simple tradition would lead to so many treasured Christmas memories for our entire family. It is my earnest desire that The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition will bring as much joy to your family as it has to mine.

Enjoy this tradition, and MAKE IT YOUR OWN!

With my best wishes for you and those you love,

Carol

Carol Aebersold, along with her daughter Chanda Bell, is the author of The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition. Their first children's storybook, The Elf on the Shelf is a charming hardbound book that shares the secret of how Santa really knows who's been naughty or nice. A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Aebersold is a former teacher and the former editor-in-chief of Dayspring Magazine. Today, she is a writer and motivational speaker. Aebersold is also heavily involved in arts advocacy, and occasionally finds herself on stage performing with local community theatre groups. The mother of three grown children and the grandmother of two, she lives with her husband, Bob, in Powder Springs, Ga.

On Christmas morning, our elf was found watching from the Christmas tree.

Here is the website for Elf On A Shelf.

http://act002.elfontheshelf.com/#/home

Tomorrow- Santa Arrives!