Twas The Drama Before Christmas...

This just can't be forgotten and must be read at her graduation party or wedding some day.

Our kids have asked for an elf on the shelf the past couple of years. I can rarely remember to be the tooth fairy and that is just one night. This year, the kids were given one by a dear (or evil) friend of ours. Thankfully, it was only a week or so before Christmas so we only forgot to move it once! 

 Meet Zenzy

 Everything was going just fine until the night before Christmas when it was past time to go to bed. I find Avery crying. She was too distressed at the thought of never seeing Zenzy again. I don’t know anything about this thing. She said “He goes to the north pole and doesn’t come back until next year and I will just miss him really bad.” I ask what makes her think this and she said her cousin Duncan told them that. I asked how he knew and they said the book says it. I clearly never read the book that came with this thing in order to prepare them...and I still haven't. Oops. I don't know if they read the book but forgot about that part until Duncan reminded them, or if they didn’t even read the book until Duncan said something. Regardless, I tell them I was going to go check because maybe they read it wrong. 

I go to the living room in hopes of getting help from this guy. Meet Jason (my brother-in-law).

I ask him what in the world do I say?! He says that just the magic goes to the North Pole, but the elf can stay. Whew I thought. I go in there thinking this will be easy. Not so much. 

Meet my beautiful, sensitive, worried, and full of questions daughter.

 Avery asks things like "How do you know?" and “How does he come back down to our house if his magic stays at the North Pole? He won’t have the magic to come back to our house...” Oh dear. I feel myself in a semi panic state similar to other fun questions like how do you make a baby. I almost talked about how when people die their souls leave but their bodies stay, but thankfully something much less complicated popped into my head at just the right time. 

I explain that Zenzy will go to the North Pole to consult with Santa. He will come back here and be in a different place. You will be able to touch him and that is when his magic goes away. He will get his magic back next year and will start hiding again. But until then you will be able to play with him...so go to sleep fast so you can play with him!!!

Meet my sweet, I want to donate my hair to locks for love, I don't care if there is stuff on my face, non-worried, innocent little son.

  Zane decided to pop in with a question. He asked if Zenzy would be able to fly or do anything cool. I said no he won’t have magic!! He will be like every other doll…you can throw him and he’d fly if you want. Zane said very seriously, “Oh no, we don’t want to do that or we might be put on the naughty list.” Oh right, good thinking! We shall be nice to Zenzy. I once again quickly assure them they will see Zenzy tomorrow, so they needed to fall asleep!!

I go back into the living room where I could finally die laughing. That is when I look at the letter that Avery quickly wrote Santa after leaving milk and cookies…I quickly realized one problem. 

Other than being last on the list, we didn’t get our dog a gift…but clearly she made an effort to find an extra stocking to pin up for Santa to do something with. I then found another problem. I checked this ornament to find her list with some extra things added...

Can you see this? You may have to click to enlarge...

Other than desperately wanting to see a shooting star, she wants Santa to sign the paper to prove to the kids in her class that Santa is in fact real and that EVERYONE else is wrong. (If you can't see it, she wrote..."Your name_________because non in my class at school believe in you.) I cannot believe that everyone has told her he’s not real and she has not even asked us. She just doesn’t even see that as a possibility.

I ponder. Do I leave it empty so she will not take it to school and then maybe ask us of his realness, or do I just sign it and then convince her that letters stay home, especially ones signed by Santa…we wouldn’t want it stolen or ripped up by a kid now would we?! I sign it…and then grab dog food, a ziplock, a bow and throw it in the stocking she pinned up and called it good.

 I was semi hoping that the dog food may make her question. As soon as she asks, I will tell. After all this, I WANT her to ask. I have never laughed and at the same time been so amazed at the thought and details that went on this year. She also instructed us we could not turn on the fireplace and we needed to leave the chimney doors open so Santa could get in. This was never a concern before. I have a feeling I crossed the line of lying. I’m not sure I can do this again next year...I may be put on the naughty list...