The Elf on the Shelf

This year we started a new family tradition by introducing Molly and Taylor to “The Elf on the Shelf.” I have heard a lot of great things about this little story and wanted to start it last year, but that just didn’t happen. So, we were so lucky when a brown package showed up at our doorstep a couple of weeks ago with our very own elf inside.

The doorbell rang shortly after I got home from work and the girls went running to the door. I picked up the package and let them know that it was a special delivery for Molly and Taylor, and that it had come all the way from the North Pole.

When we opened up the box they could not wait to get their hands on the little elf. However, the book explains the elf will lose his magic of traveling to and from the North Pole every night to report all the good things that Molly and Taylor are doing if they touch the elf. So, they have done great job with keeping their hands off the elf.

One of the first things the book instructed us to do was to name our elf. The girls are quite imaginative, and started throwing out all different kinds of names that did not make much since to us. No normal names like Freddy, Bob, or Sam were suggested. No, no…the name process went a little more like this..

Molly: “Let’s name him Lala.”

Taylor: “Let’s name him Yokee.”

Molly: “Let’s name him Dadee.”

Taylor: “Let’s name him Christmas….delay…Crap.”

Yes you read that last suggestion correctly.

In the banter of going back and forth of what to name our new friend, Taylor suggested to name our sweet little elf “Christmas Crap.”

Stuart kind of liked the name, but I suggested that we could come up with something a little better. Ha-ha. Of course Taylor just threw this name out there, and does not even know that “crap” is an ugly word, but we sure did get a good laugh out of it.

The girls finally agreed that we should name our elf “Pingo.”

Molly was a little doubtful at first. She looked at me and kind of laughed after we read the book and asked if he was really real. The first morning that they woke up and realized that “Pingo” was in a new spot she looked and me and said, “Mommy, you were right. He is real!”

They have had so much fun looking for the elf every morning, and they crack up at all the silly spots that he ends up settling.

I am so glad that we started this new tradition!!!