Seriously, Merry Christmas! The holidays make me so happy and excited. It's a time of reflection, giving, love, family and hope for the new year. And, it's also a time for tradition. You see, ever since my oldest was three years old, we introduced Elf on the Shelf. The twins were just babies and my little girl was totally enamored with the Christmas season.
She opened the box that had magically arrived on our doorstep and after reading the story, she quickly decided to name the elf after her favorite character in Toy Story, Woody.
And so it began. The tradition of moving Woody the Elf from place to place, from adventure to adventure for only a few short days during the year. What we didn't realize at the time was the connection that the girls would have to the Elf. If there were any magic in the little red and white doll that came in box, it surely came to life in our home.
So every year without fail, this little elf (well, this year there are two elves) makes his appearance and for the days leading up to Christmas, fill our home with laughter, curiosity and sometimes amazement (aka frustration). But what he does is actually fill our home with joy and hope mixed with a little bit of magic of the holiday season.
Now, some of you may be thinking about the trouble of planning these visits and how much time it takes and how tiring it may be to add another "to-do" to the lengthy list of what parents do every day. And you know what - I really don't mind. For 10 or so days, it's a peak in the imagination of us all. It's the hope and wonder of something magical to our day that normally isn't there. We all grow up so fast and even our children our faced with daunting tasks that life lessons teach us. So, in our house, we celebrate a little bit of magic and fun each year. We cherish the adventure of the surprise in each day and celebrate the little things that sometimes are forgotten in the day-to-day of our busy lives.
It is my hope that as my girls grow into ladies and look back on their childhood, that they will remember a little bit of fun in each day leading up to Christmas. It gives them each individual joy and brings us all together to celebrate a life's magic.
What is your tradition? Is it an Elf on the Shelf, a celebration of a meal, or something that is totally unique to your family. Whatever it may be, cherish the moments, remember the connection that you all have, and just live in that moment. For that is what life is about.
What a wonderful, loving, memory-filled bridge to cross.
Whatever tradition or holiday you celebrate, do it with your heart. Wishing you all the best in the coming year.
xo,
B.
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