Elf on the Shelf.... Sort of

So I've heard of this Elf on the Shelf. If you're on facebook you've probably got at least one friend posting pictures of their Elf.
I finally decided to look into it this year. What can I say, curiosity killed the cat. It does look like a cute idea to see these little Elves getting into mischief.
So I found the www.elfontheshelf.com website. 
I haven't read the book, so I'm still not 100% informed, but here's what the main page says:

"The tradition begins when Santa sends his scout elves out to Elf Adoption Centers. Waiting for their families to bring them home, these patient elves hibernate until their family reads The Elf on the Shelf, gives their elf a very special name, and registers their adoption online. Once named, each scout elf will receive its Christmas magic and become a part of the family’s Christmas each and every year.  "

That is so cute :) The kids get to name it, it's Christmas magic, it's story time... it could be a really fun tradition!

The website goes on to say:

"Excellent listeners and even better observers, these scout elves are the eyes and ears of Santa Claus. Although they cannot be touched, or else they may lose their magic, the elf will always listen and relay messages back to Santa. Taking in all the day-to-day activities around the house, no good deed goes unnoticed; these scout elves take their job seriously."


I don't really understand why they can't be touched. Fear of breaking him? Maybe so that when the kids see the Elf in different places they won't question if mom and dad moved it? 


"Each night, after the family goes to bed, the scout elf uses his magical Christmas powers to fly back to the North Pole. Once there, the elf will make his or her daily report to Santa and visit with elf friends where they will tell stories about their beloved families, play with the reindeer, and of course, sneak some of Mrs. Claus’ cookies! "

From what I have been told, and what I interpret this to say is that the Elf goes back to the North Pole every night to report to Santa whether the kids that adopted him have been good or bad that day.
Let the manipulation begin. "Better be good today, Johnny. The Elf is gonna tell Santa you're being naughty and he won't bring you any presents."

"Before the family awakes each morning, their special scout elf will fly back to their home from the North Pole. However, since these elves like to play games, don’t expect to find them in the same spot!  While some like to hide in the freezer (probably because it reminds them of the North Pole) and others prefer to sit on the fireplace mantle or hang from the chandelier, these elves love to play hide-and-seek with their families. "

I thought the reindeer were the ones who played games? 
(All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names, they never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games....)
I never knew Elves to be particularly playful or mischievous. They always seemed pretty serious to me. Just watch all 3 "The Santa Claus" movies. I know what I'm talking about here ;)

That being said, I think the cutest and best part of the Elf is the silly poses people put them in, and the stories they make up to go with the poses. And I do think that would be really fun to do with my kids!!

While I'm not for the using Santa against kids to make them behave thing, I still think the little Elf would be fun.

So here's my plan.

I'm going to make an Elf. Cause that's how I roll. Then I'm going to pack him in a box with a letter. Then I will wrap the box up in brown packing paper and address it to our family. I'm going to leave it outside our front door, and then send the kids out for something like taking recycling out (one of the boy's favorite chores. No, really, they LOVE to recycle!!) so they will find it.
My kids are more older than younger. 10 (YES, 10!!! Aye!!), 7, 5, 3, and 1, and the older ones are going to wonder why all of the sudden Santa is sending Elves to houses. Which is the point of the letter.
My oldest 2 are always asking how Santa gets in when we haven't ever had a chimney. I never have a great answer. (Kind of like never having a great answer when asked if Santa is real) I thought about the key thing, but just never got into it.... maybe our Elf could bring one with him.
No, BETTER- originally I was going to say the Elf is scouting out the house to go back and tell Santa how to get in... BUT it might be COOLER to say that the Elf has to MAKE a key that will allow Santa access into our house... and that's where the magic key can come from! It can appear on Christmas Eve in the Elf's hands!
The letter could mention that Santa is sending Elves to houses that don't have chimneys, but since it's a new program at the North Pole he had to use younger, kid elves, not the older, adult elves who already have jobs, and they're still very silly and playful and like to play with Santa's magic.

Oh yeah. This is gonna be cool.