The Elf On The Shelf

My wife and I have attended many office Christmas parties over the years. One of her previous employers always had a very nice, dress up affair at one of the better hotels in town. It would start with an open bar, followed by a sit down dinner and dancing. My wife was often the life of the party. One year the open bar lasted too long and she had one too many glasses of wine. We were seated at our table waiting to be served dinner. I wasn't paying attention to her because I was conversing with the person on my left. Denise leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Mike, this is the worst soup I have ever had!" I looked her in the eye and said, "Denise, you're eating the salad dressing!" It was oil and vinegar which can be great on salad but it makes a terrible soup. Our entire table almost fell out of their chairs laughing.

Once again my wife and I have an “Elf on the Shelf” in our home. This is a tradition that we started with our granddaughter last Christmas season. The belief is that the elf has been sent from the North Pole. You can talk to the elf but not touch it. The really fun part is moving the elf around your home when your child or grandchild is not around. This past weekend the elf appeared in my home while my granddaughter was here to spend the night. Before we went to bed she made a small bed for the elf and left it some food. When we went to bed the elf was sitting on a shelf. The next morning, prior to actual daylight, I was awakened by Chloe who immediately said, “Paw Paw, let’s go downstairs and see if the elf is in his bed”. I suggested staying in our bed a little longer but there was going to be none of that. Of course, every time my granddaughter wakes me up at the crack of dawn my wife is hugging the sheets and playing possum. When we finally got downstairs, the elf was sitting on his bed reading a small book. Chloe was freaking out. This is a fun tradition that I highly recommend if you have children in your family. As a sometimes jaded adult it’s great to observe a child who still believes in magic.