by Louise Flanagan
Christmas trees are popping up like mushrooms around the county.
I’m very envious of people who run an organised enough household to get the job done in mid-November. That’s certainly not the case in my house. Whether I like it or not though, the festivities will be thrust upon me on December 1 with the arrival of our Elf on the Shelf.
Elves have been bringing joy to children and nightly panic to parents everywhere for the best part of a decade. To be cynical, it’s an ingenious marketing strategy, but for those who embrace it, it does add an extra dimension to the magic of Christmas.
Our elf has returned every December for the last seven years, I think. He’s a tame enough specimen, thank God, and never gets up to terrible devilment in the house.
Some elves arrive with great aplomb, inside helium balloons or suspended from the rafters – ours simply brings the advent calendars on his first night and that’s how we find him; calmly sitting on the kitchen counter with his seasonal offerings.
The kids are always delighted to see him back for more festive fun. They do hear at school of elves that arrive in much more elaborate set-ups, but I casually remind them that elves, like people, are all unique, and we got a chilled out one. It suits us just fine.
There’s no telling what your elf will get up to throughout the month of December. Every morning when the kids wake up, they get such a kick out of discovering how their elf spent the previous night.
They tend to mess with the Christmas decorations – hiding in the Christmas tree or stockings, tangled in lights or tinsel.
They also frequently interact with the toys in your house: they like riding toy cars and horses, playing board games with teddy bears, or dressing up in dolls’ clothes.
There are some additional rules that we fragrantly disregard in my house: the elf is not supposed to be touched for fear it will lose its magic. Our elf doesn’t mind being touched and even enjoys the odd hug too.
Some kids are absolutely terrified of their elf, so I’m glad that ours doesn’t mind this bit of human interaction. Some households have two or more elves! I’ve heard they get up to all sorts of mischief in pairs and groups, but one elf is plenty in our house, thanks very much.
I have a feeling that this year, the elves will play lots of ‘6/7’ pranks – writing 6/7 on the toilet roll, on post-its, God knows, maybe even on the eggs. The kids will get a kick out of that. If the ‘6/7’ reference means nothing to you, consider yourself very lucky…
Although the elves tend to entertain kids with their shenanigans, they can also promote good behaviour and kindness. They might leave a note asking the kids to tidy their bedroom, or a note with a suggestion that they should donate some of their toys to charity.
There are loads of examples of the things elves get up to for you to browse online, but if you take a look, don’t get too intimidated by some of the ‘insta-worthy’ set-ups you’ll see.
There are plenty of elves – like mine – who bring all the joy with less of the fuss. The Elf on the Shelf tradition is about anticipation and little moments of surprise that kids will treasure long after the elf returns to the North Pole.
So, whatever high jinx your elf gets up to, keep the bar low as a parent!
Louise Flanagan is an admin of Letterkenny Babies facebook page and the author of the children’s book series, Dragonterra and Dream Beasts. www.dragonterra.ie
