Stewart on the Shelf.

I'm going to do some posts backwards. I'll start with my current one and then go back and do another about Sophie's awesome birthday party we had 3 weeks ago!  Ok . . . onward!

I've noticed over the past year that "Elf on the Shelf" has become quite popular and is now used as a tradition, namely for families with kids.  Although I suppose anyone could do it!  I was pretty confused and wasn't entirely sure what it was so I did a few Google searches to find some explanation.  First, it is a children's book that comes with a little "elf" doll and here is the short version of what it's about ...

Every day from Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve, each family's scout elf watches over the children and then at night, once everyone goes to bed, the elf flies back to the North Pole to report back to Santa about what activities, good and bad, took place throughout the day. Before the family wakes up each morning, the scout elf flies back from the North Pole and hides. By hiding in a new spot each morning around the house, the scout elf and the family play an on-going game of hide and seek. The Elf on the Shelf explains that elves get their magic by being named. In the back of each book, families have an opportunity to write their elf's name and the date that they adopted it.

Once the elf is named, the scout elf receives its special Christmas magic which allows it to fly to and from the North Pole. However, the magic might go if touched, so the rule for The Elf on the Shelf states: "There's only one rule that you have to follow so I will come back and be here tomorrow: Please do not touch me. My magic might go, and Santa won't hear all I've seen or I know." Although families aren't supposed to touch their scout elf, they can talk to it and tell it all their Christmas wishes so it can report back to Santa accurately.

Apparently it's so popular that there are blogs and Facebook pages dedicated to ideas to do with your elf.  This little "tradition" has gone viral.  And according to Wikipedia, the book was originally rejected by multiple publishers and so the sisters who wrote it self-published it.  By the end of 2010 they sold over 1.5 million copies! 

So, I have to admit the elf that you buy is a creepy 50s looking doll.  He really freaks me out. So, I thought I'd make my own version of this.  Also I am going to put my own spin on it and not necessarily follow the "don't touch" rule or the fact that the "elf" goes away after Christmas and doesn't return until the following Thanksgiving. I already failed to start it at Thanksgiving so we are starting on December 1st (today!).

Our "elf" is going to be Sophie's bestest little bear pal, "Stewart".  I thought it'd be fun to do it and hey, Stewart is always around anyway and having fun adventures with us.  So today I'll start the tradition of making Stewart do something at night and Sophie can find him in the mornings to see what he's been up to.  I'm going to update Stewie's own Facebook page with all his daily adventures as an "elf". So feel free to follow along for the fun of it.

Tonight I found him in the fruit bowl.  And it seems he needs to get a hat that fits!  Stay tuned for Stewart's little adventures, all the way until Christmas Eve ...  He'll be keeping an eye on Sophie and reporting back to Santa every night on her behavior.  I'm sure she'll get a top-notch report!