Spirited Essence Works

We began the tradition of the Elf on the Shelf this year. He arrived the day after Thanksgiving. I had been reading the story about the Elf on the Shelf to my son about two weeks before he arrived to try to make him understand about the elf. The first day, the elf decorated the fridge to bring holiday cheer and left a message explaining why he came and the basic rules to follow. My son named the elf that day, Bob. So, Bob the elf has been visiting us ever since.   The second day, Bob decided that we should make some arts and crafts together. We made festive holiday crafts that included coloring, painting, and gluing. Since my little one is only 20 months I went ahead and had everything cut out and ready. He had a blast making the Christmas crafts and is so proud to display them on our fridge. Day three, Bob the elf left us the hint to bake. Since November was almost over and my sweet pea loves pumpkin, we made Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast. My toddler loves to help with baking. These cinnamon rolls are a delicious and easy sweet treat to whip up in the morning.  On the fourth day,  Bob went zip lining through the kitchen to drop off poof balls to use on the Thomas Advent Calendar.   He also let my little one borrow a Northpole Communicator that let’s him call the Northpole each day during December to get a special message. He has truly gotten into using the communicator. Other than looking for Bob each morning, calling the Northpole is one of the first things we have to do. The fifth day was the 1st day of Christmas. One of my favorite days of the year. Growing up, my mom would always make this day so much fun and special. She would always have a surprise and note that one of Santa’s helpers would drop off to start the Christmas season. It was a tradition I knew I wanted to continue for my little ones to make that day special for them as well as create our own new traditions for Christmas.  Yesterday, Bob decided to be quite mischievous. He decorated the entire kitchen with bows. My little one cracked me up with his reaction of “Uh-oh!” when he saw the mess in the kitchen that morning.

 Today, Bob the elf came riding in on the express train to bring my sweet pea an angel tag from the Angel Tree. Christmas is exciting and full of fun with your family, but you cannot forget to give back to the community and to help others in need. I wanted to teach my toddler the importance of giving back. We may not be rich but we are lucky to have what we have and to wake up every day healthy and happy. I want my little one to try and bring good will and happiness to someone else in need. 

This is only the first week with Bob. There are many more adventures to come. Stay tuned and follow to keep up with Bob’s upcoming adventures. I would also love to hear any ideas that you have done with Elf on the Shelf this week or in the past. Happy Holidays!