Piper

We welcomed a new family member into our home just after Thanksgiving.  Piper, our Elf on the Shelf, is new to us but has quickly made himself right at home.

In case you don't know what an Elf on the Shelf is, you buy this kit with an elf and a story book.  The elf "appears" one morning along with book and you read it to your kids.  The elf will stay with your family every December, reporting behavior back to Santa every night after everyone is in bed, returning before everyone wakes in the morning.  He appears in a new spot every morning and sometimes gets himself into a bit of trouble.  We've even had a note from Santa appear with Piper one morning, reminding the boys what appropriate behavior is and congratulating them on things they've done well.  When the elf appears for the first time, you must name your elf right away and you can never touch the elf, or his magic might disappear.  Other families elves have had to go to the elf hospital for a few days after being touched, returning covered in bandages.  The elf leaves for good on Christmas Eve, promising to return the following December.

The kids just eat this up.  They LOVE Piper (or Pi-Pi, as he's affectionately called).  They talk to him, they ask him if he can appear in a funny spot the following morning, they apologize for bad behavior.  It's really cute.  I've been wanting to do this a couple of years now and am so glad we finally went for it.  It's funny how quickly a little elf doll can take on such a human persona and really become a member of the family for the holidays.  And it's been fun for me to come up with new places to put the elf each night.

This is how the boys will find Piper in the morning: He's toilet papered himself to the ceiling fan.

Other ways we've found him have been having a tea party with a stuffed animal, sitting in one of Aiden's shoes, and riding on the shoulders of our angel tree topper.