Our little shelf elf

Oh, the things we tell our kids...

Now, they know that Santa knows if they have been naughty or nice. Sam still wasn't quite sure how he knows this, though. "Is he inside me, like God? If he is, where does HE fit?"

Thankfully, I found this sweet little shelf elf on Etsy:

He sits on a shelf, listening and watching my kiddos, and then every night he is spirited back to the North Pole to check in with Santa. Every morning he finds a different place to "hide". He came with a little note, explaining the rules (i.e., if you touch him, he loses his magic).

Sam and Maddie are very much into the "rules" (not mine, but Santa's are acceptable) so if Sam misbehaves, he knows he needs to be extra good or helpful so his "nices" outweigh his "naughties".

Now, I do have concerns. 1 - this is a lot of pressure to put on a boy like Sam. I don't know how he'll handle it on a really bad day... and 2 - Mommy has to remember to move the little bugger every night before bedtime. Sam WILL know if he hasn't moved!

Should I feel guilty about such trickery?

Nah.

I figure it will all even out when they get to be teenagers and they are trying to pull a good one over on elderly mom....

(Thanks to ChicBabyRose at Etsy for her darling elf!)