Now, I have known what the Elf on a Shelf is and  have seen plenty of Facebook posts of my friends gushing about how cute and fun their Elf On A Shelf is for their kids, but I did not really get it.  Let’s face it though, that was before I had a child.

This year, I gave in and got an Elf On A Shelf (the girl elf) and introduced her to Savanna.  I told Savanna the story about the Elf and why she was brought to our home.  Savanna named her Holly (Savanna’s school has one and that is her name) and the first day, played with her like one of her dolls.  I explained that Holly needed to rest because she had a lot of work to do and we would visit with her in the morning.

The next morning, Savanna went to the spot where we had left Holly the night before, but to Savanna’s dismay, Holly was not there. I told Savanna that Holly had left but returned and was now somewhere else in the house and we had to find her.  Oh my gosh, the look of joy on Savanna’s face!  She started calling her name and told our dog Montana to help look for her, and then when she found her, she laughed so loud and so hard!  It was amazing how much joy this little elf brought to my daughter.

Now, every morning, Savanna gets up and walks around the house calling Holly’s name, looking for her.  Every time she finds her, Savanna laughs hysterically and is so excited to see Holly.

That simple joy…Priceless!