Holiday Traditions: Elf on a Shelf

Last year, I read on my friend Melissa's family blog about their Elf on a Shelf tradition. I looked at the picture of her elf and thought, "Hey, I have one of those!" Actually, I have THREE of those!

They belonged to my mom, who probably got them from her parents. When I was about 10 or 11, my mom was going to get rid of several Christmas decorations, including her elves. She never had a really convenient place for them and thought they got in the way.

But instead of throwing them out, I convinced her to give them to me, her three elves, plus all the decorations she was getting rid of. I decorated my bedroom, and since then, I still have them all.

When I got my first Christmas tree, I started putting each little elf on a branch of the tree so they can "look out" at everything. And I'm so glad that I kept these three elves, especially after learning about the Elf on a Shelf tradition.

The tradition of the Elf on a Shelf is based on a children's book. The elf comes out and watches for naughty and nice behavior to help Santa out. Each night, he returns to the North Pole to give his report, then comes back to your house in a different hiding place. Children have fun looking for the new hiding spot in the morning.

I love the idea of this tradition. For one thing, it helps keep the kids on their toes that someone is "watching" them for naughty and nice behavior! But for our family, my three elves are more like "Elves on a Christmas Tree Branch" because I still keep them there. That is one tradition that I still want to keep.

To purchase your own Elf on a Shelf, visit Amazon.com here.