The Elf on the Shelf

At our meeting with yet another "realtor", Debbie, a lovely huggy, grandmotherly Southerner, we learnt all about the Elf on the Shelf. Apparently, it's a Southern tradition to have an elf on the shelf during Christmas, whose job it is is to report back to Santa about the household children's behaviour - have they been naughty or nice? The elf flies off to the North Pole at night to submit her/his report and flies back the same night, returning to a new position in the house. Then, in the morning, it's a race to see who can find where the elf has settled after her nightly errand. The challenge is for children NOT to touch their elf, or the magic will vanish and she/he will lose her ability to communicate with Santa. Kids can talk to their elf, name them, and confide in them, but the elf will only talk to parents and Santa.

When we met with Debbie yesterday to look through another house, she presented Isabella and Daniel with their very own Elf on the Shelf. We unwrapped her this morning and as we're up in Atlanta for Christmas, she's helping us navigate the pre-Christmas traffic.

It looks like our Elf has already been out and about ...