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Assuming you have young children, chances are they already get excited thinking about Christmas and all that it brings with it. The elf on the shelf is a great Christmas tradition to bring into your home. Yes, your kids will love it, but in all likelihood you’ll find that they’re much better behaved than usual, as they’ll think the Elf will report to Santa, which will be a good thing.
It’s a fantastic book to read with your little ones at bedtime and will definitely get everyone in the holiday mood. The theory behind the story is the fact that Santa must know if a child has behaved or not before he delivers the presents on Christmas Eve. So Santa sends his Elf to go and watch the youngsters in each house. The Elf sits on the shelf (or the mantelpiece or the dining room table) and after taking care of the little ones every day, he returns to Santa every night to report. Making sure to move the Elf is key because he will lose his power if the boys and girls find him in exactly the same position every morning. He is supposed to have already been to the North Pole and returned after all. Kids can even register the Elf online and will be prompted to give it a unique name.
The Elf comes along with the hardcover book plus a keepsake box for your kids to store any holiday sketches and decorations. Also, there is an action book as part of the series and some additional dolls, for example an elf girl and boy that you can buy when your kids really get into this story.
Christmas is a holiday time and it’s fantastic to see young children fall completely under the spell of Santa and his amazing Elves, especially if the recent economic situation may mean that many families have been under pressure lately.
If you like to cultivate the magic of Christmas in your home, additional great books to share with young children include the classic “It Was the Night Before Christmas,” plus plenty of holiday offerings from their favorite heroes, including Barney , Thomas the train, Barbie, etc. Newer books include the fantastic “A Bit of Applause for Mrs Claus”. Some may like to mix in the spiritual aspect of Christmas and may write books especially for children to help them understand that particular message.
The Elf on the Shelf is a good gift for all households that includes the little ones. Maybe you should get yours now and open it on Thanksgiving?