Elves

Three little elves come to our house each year (one for each of our kids) to watch our children for good and bad behavior and then report back to Santa. These elves are relics because they are the same elves who used to visit Tom’s house when he was a kid.

The elves come right before Tom’s annual business trip and then somehow they can never fly on their own and always need assistance when he’s gone. So this year, Austen (who finally told me that this is the first year he doesn’t believe) helped me help the elves. And what great fun we had together conjuring up places for the elves. We got really creative thanks to Pinterest! And it was a lot of fun for Austen to get into the spirit of giving (joy) now that he’s on the other side. He understands that he must protect the secret to keep his sisters believing for at least a few more years. But 6th grade?! He believed til he was in 6th grade! And Peyton is in 4th and still dies! (I was in 3rd.)

I love the magic that the season brings and how much my kids also love this time of the year. The other day I was thinking about my favorite Xmas childhood memories and wondering what my kids will say theirs are as they get older. Mine are: our annual roadtrip to see my grandma and relatives in Boston. Lots of stories from those trips and listening to The Beach Boys Xmas album on repeat. Also, all of us crammed into my Grandma’s 2 bedroom/1 bathroom house to eat dinner on Xmas Eve. The stories my aunts and uncles would tell as we feasted on a traditional Xmas Eve dinner of fish and my Grandma’s famous Lasagna. Oh, and that one year we didn’t go to Boston when I was in the 7th grade which was incredibly boring but I got the best gifts that year - all the clothes I really wanted - Guess, Benetton, Forenza... so many warm and wonderful memories. This time of year definitely brings back all of mine.