Guess what??? Our Elf came last night bringing goodies and a month of fun and shenanigans to the Bear Haven Kidlets! Yes, I know that I have two big kids. And yes, they have probably been looking forward to the Elf arrival more than the little one!
This year is a big deal for our youngest. She doesn’t really remember much of past Christmases, so everything is new and magical to her. She has heard stories about the magical elves that would come and visit every year to bring holiday cheer and shenanigans. However, she doesn’t remember anything that the elves have done! For my big kids, the Elf thing has been a big deal for them, and while they are a bit old for the whole thing, they have been looking forward to being my helper this year and making Christmas magic for their baby sister.
Miss Crankles has a different Elf than they do. His name is Grainger, and he came to us her first Christmas. We already had our own Elf tradition with our squishy one named Dobby. Dobby came to us when the big kids were little, and because I blog and had a toy store at the time, sometimes Dobby went a little over the top…as in a totally destroyed kitchen and a drive with my car through a lot of mud to make it look like he and some reindeer went joyriding. However, a lot of this was my way trying to add a bit of holiday magic to some really difficult times for us. When the big kids were little, my husband was gone for most of the holiday season, leaving us to celebrate Christmas usually around or after Epiphany. Not only that, we didn’t have family close by, so because of the weather, oftentimes that wasn’t an option. Dobby also helped my kids cope with loss as well as his shenanigans one year gave distraction to losing a pregnancy at the end of the first trimester/beginning of second. My kids knew about the pregnancy. They saw my belly expand, and they saw how broken I was when I lost the baby while my husband was stuck in Canada for weeks before he could be home to mourn with us. Our Elf tradition saw us through some rough times and gave my kids some really great memories!
That is why they are so eager to help now. They are a little sad that Dobby did not come out to play this year, but seriously, I don’t think I can make it work with two. Grainger came last night with a letter, some coloring pages, and Advent calendars for each kid. Miss Crankles got a Barbie one this year while the big kids got chocolate-filled ones. I made up the coloring pages on a whim because Crankles loves to color, and if you have kids that like to color, you can download my coloring page for free!
Download Coloring Page
I know the whole Elf thing is not for everyone. However, if you Elf, I will be sharing some Elf ideas all month long here on the blog, so make sure you sign up to get updates! Also, if you are looking for an Elf, we are using Elf Magic elves. The Elf Magic story is a little different than the traditional one out there, and their elves are designed for play, meaning they don’t have to sit in the same place all season long. Our elf doesn’t come to just watch over and tell Santa. He comes to play and visit. It is like having a friend from the North Pole visit all month long! This works better for my family, and I am super excited to see how Crankles interacts with the Elf this month!
If you have an elf, how does elfing work in your house? When does the elf arrive? What is the best thing the elf has done? I would love to hear from you! Also, if you want to show off your Elf game this season, use hashtag #elftasticmisfit so we can all connect!
Fun and nicely designed character. I bet this will be popular