I'm watching you...

A little left showed up at our door a couple days after Thanksgiving.  We read the book together and chose the name Coco for our little elf.  In the book it gives clear instructions about the care of the elf.  Do not touch her.  You can talk to her and leave her gifts.  The elf will her do her job of observing and report back to Santa at the North Pole every night (she can fly there).  

In the first few days of having Coco, Mae cried hysterically one night because someone at school told her that their elf did naughty things and they would wake up in the night with their elf in their face... scary!  Mae did not want that to happen.  Its bad enough imagining a little elf flying around the house, we don't need to imagine her flying around our bedrooms watching us sleep.  So, Coco went back to the north pole for a day while we decided if we needed an Elf on the Shelf, after all.  Mae woke up to see her gone and again, cried.  This time, because she wanted Coco back in our home.  That day she wrote a sweet note to Coco, asking her to come back.  Coco got the message and came back that night.  

The next day, Mae and Will were playing with a football that landed on Coco.  Matt and I rushed downstairs thinking that someone had their hand cut off because the cries were so horrible!  Mae was upset that Coco was going to feel bad about the football hitting her and that she wouldn't come back.  To make matters worse, Will picked up Coco and sat her back up... taking away her magic!!  More crying ensued...

After the first few days, the drama from the elf calmed down and she became a beloved friend to Mae and Will.  Since she has gone back to the North Pole, they've both mentioned how much they miss her. I caught both kids telling her secrets and talking to her while she was here.

Until next year, Coco...