The Mystery and Magic of Elves
My daughter came home last week all abuzz ... about elves.
"Mom!" she said, "when are we getting our elves? Everyone's got them. They're so fun. Why don't we have any?"
"Uh oh," I thought, "another Ohio mystery."
There have been quite a few of these Ohio mysteries since we moved here five months ago, like the scarlet dress code on game days and the rescheduling of Halloween. Consequently, I didn't greet this elf phenomenon with the wildest enthusiasm.
But the requests kept coming, in many forms. There were little post it notes left strewn throughout the house, "Elf, are you here? Please write back." There were tales of elf happenings in friends homes. But what finally spurred me to act was the overheard friend commiseration, "I can't believe you don't have an elf. Don't worry, he's probably just late."
I gathered a group of moms at a holiday party this weekend and they gave me an elf tutorial in hushed whispers with frequent glances to make sure no children were within ear shot. Although the elf tradition varies by household, the basic custom is that an elf doll is purchased. This elf doll has a direct line to Santa and reports on the children's behavior and wishes. He is very active at night, traveling to the North Pole and back, and doing various tricks while the house sleeps. Elves have been known to write "believe" in sugar on the kitchen counter, to tie children's shoes together, to fill bathtubs with water and go sailing on kids toys.
Although I wasn't eager to take on another nightly task knowing how poorly I performed as a tooth fairy, I did like the two major benefits the moms raved about. The elf stretches the magic of Christmas to the full month of December. And the elf, as an adorable spy for Santa, is a powerful discipline mechanism.
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