I can't finish up our contest without spotlighting Bernard, our Christmas Elf, so here's another repost from last year:
I should probably begin with the story of how Bernard came to visit our family. But it's a little long, so grab some hot chocolate and sit back and enjoy...
When my girls were quite young, their cousins told them about an elf that visited their family each Christmas. My girls really wanted to have one of their own, so they wrote a letter to Santa asking for our own personal elf {your kids can too if they want to ask}. And sure enough, Santa sent us an elf. We got the book "The Secret of The Elves Elite" by Bill Cakmis to clarify all the rules of having a Christmas elf.
The story tells about how a long time ago, when the world was a smaller place, Santa was able to keep up with all the children and their behavior. But eventually as towns grew, he needed help. "So Santa gathered the hardest working elves he could find. From that group, he selected the best of the best. Of all the elves at the North Pole, this elite group of elves slept the least, worked the hardest, and produced the finest toys in all of Elfdom. They were: The Elves Elite." Santa sent his elves elite to watch the children and see if they deserved toys at Christmas.
The book told us that "just as the last ornament is placed on the Christmas tree each year, your elf is sent by Santa to find out where you live and to watch over you." It goes on to further explain that "The Elves Elite are special because they are filled with the mystery of Christmas. When one is touched, the mystery is lost." Therefore, the elves are not to be touched.
For 9 or so years now, we've had an elf visit.
Bernard visits us each day starting when the last ornament is on the tree. He watches to see if we are being good and it keeps my kids on their toes! Each morning, he is in a different location, peeking down on us to make sure we are being good. This makes each day a new excitement to find out where he is hiding. The kids favorite spot is when he hides in the refrigerator, since it's cold like the North Pole. {He is also very good at taking letters to Santa for us, which is handy!}
What a wonderful tradition it has been. So if you haven't yet got your elf elite, write to Santa Claus right away!
In more recent years, the book, "The Elf on the Shelf" has served a similar purpose and it is very popular right now!
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