I was reminded of a relatively new holiday tradition called "Elf on the Shelf" by a pair of he said/she said posts by friends Kyle and Regan. When we first caught wind of this new tradition several years ago, Jen and I decided it wasn't for us. Not only are we hopelessly forgetful, which creates a lot of undue stress with this particular activity, but we also didn't want to extend the deception we feel is present in Christmas. Bah humbug, I know. Let me continue before you skewer me. 

We do our best to support the wonder and joy that is Santa Claus and Christmas. We know it's perishable. Our kids send Santa letters and he responds (including taking the time in his last note to point out rule #33, which states Santa is not allowed to bring children cellphones as presents; his response to a specific request from our youngest). We've made the drive to northern NH to bring them on a real life Polar Express, complete with hot cocoa on a cold train ride I'm sure they'll never forget. The elf just seems to bring the tradition to a place we don't want to go...

...but he's EVERYWHERE!!! It's like a new cult is taking over. Their friends have an elf, our neighbors have an elf, their cousins have an elf. So we're in a bit of a pickle. 

Without our knowledge, our kids wrote a letter to Santa and left it with their cousin's elf for proper delivery. Apparently, they asked Santa to please send them an elf on the shelf. Oh man. So Santa wrote back and said his elves were incredibly busy this time of year, but maybe their cousin's elf could come back and spend a night at our house. And so it was...

...until he showed up at our house. We all agreed he looked pretty lonely (and creepy) up there, so we found a friend for him to hang out with. The elf moved a couple times and we went ahead and moved his new friend over next to him. Until the next morning when he'd apparently gone back to their cousin's house after his visit with Santa.

But his friend was still hanging out in our house. So our kids thought we should keep playing along with our "Chef on the Shelf." Only we all agreed on modified rules for the chef: 

1. He's not spying on anyone, although he might pass along info to an elf if one stops by again. 

2. He moves whenever he wants to. Could be day, night.. whatever. 

3. Once he's found in a new location, he should be allowed to hang there for a bit before being moved. 

4. It's ok to touch him, as long as you adhere to rule #3. 

5. When it doubt, let him chill out and take it all in. 

Sure. Call me cheesy, but the kids love it. It lets them in on the action and isn't saddled with the "stressful overhead" of having an elf that needs to mysteriously move every night. If he's in the same spot in the morning it's probably because he was out late and needs a little extra beauty sleep. But the best part? Unlike the elf, who's pretty darn creepy looking, our chef makes us smile every time we see him. Who knows, maybe the Chef on the Shelf will catch on in time for next year? 

Happy Holidays!