Elf on the Shelf.

Have you heard of the Elf on the Shelf? It's a fun Christmas tradition that came to the Leahy household this year. The story goes that the elf is sent by Santa to keep an eye on little boys and girls, and he then reports back to Santa on whether the children have been naughty or nice. Every night the elf moves (with a little parental assistance after the boys are in bed) to a new lookout post. When the boys awake in the morning, they are so anxious to see where the elf has moved. Here are a few highlights about our Elf on the Shelf...

• Part of the tradition is that each family has to name their elf. The boys decided to call him Mr. Teddy (well, actually, that was Luke's idea, but Reid went along with it.) 
  
• Luke likes to stare at Mr. Teddy and exclaim, "I see his mouth moving. He's smiling!" 
  
• Papa told Luke that elves can fly, so Luke has developed many theories about how Mr. Teddy gets to his new locations. Every morning a new tale unfolds. Quite entertaining.
  
• If the boys get a little unruly, it's amazing to see how quickly they snap back into shape with the reminder, "The elf is watching you!"

Traditions are one of the best parts of the holiday season, and this is a new one we are really enjoying. That said, it's late and we'd better go transport Mr. T to his new spot...