At our house, Sophia has been counting down the days until Christmas.  Over the past few weeks we’ve hung the garland and lights outside, got the tree decorated and are in full Christmas mode. 

One of the things that I did this year was purchase an “Elf on a Shelf.”  If you haven’t heard of this before it is something I totally recommend!  It was recommended to me by a couple of friends as a behavior modification tool and a fun tradition to start with your kids.  You can find them at Barnes and Noble or at most Hallmark stores for about $25.  The idea is that he’s sent from Santa and watches your kids each day.  Then at night he flies back to the North Pole and reports back to Santa.  Parents hide the elf in new places around the house each night and then in the morning, your child has to find where the elf landed upon returning.  “Red” the elf came the day after Thanksgiving and has been a huge hit with Sophia.  She hunts for “Red” each day, tells him what she wants for Christmas, and is convinced that he is reporting back to Santa every night at the North Pole.

This morning a friend of mine forwarded me a link on Facebook that is the perfect compliment to our Elf on a Shelf.  It’s a way to send a personalized message from Santa to your kids.  No lie, this took me less than five minutes to do and is adorable!  I just wanted to share this because if you have young kids they will think this is so cool, plus, it keeps the magic of Santa alive!

I’d love to know what Christmas traditions you do with your kids?  Or, any fun things that bring the holidays alive at your house?  Have a Merry Christmas and let me know what you think of the Elf on a Shelf or Santa video if you decide to give it a try.