Look who's here!

The morning after we put up our Christmas tree, Avery and Noel came downstairs to find...

...our elf, Fred! He came back!

As you can see, we found him lounging on top of a frame on our photo wall...as floppy and happy and cute as he was this time last year.

Fred is our Elf on the Shelf. He was sent to us by Santa Claus, and his job is to watch Avery and Noel to see if they're being good little kiddies during the holiday season. He usually arrives at our house sometime soon after Thanksgiving and spends the weeks leading up to Christmas with our family. Each day he watches (and listens to) Avery and Noel, and every night, after we've all gone to bed, he flies to the North Pole to report what he's seen (and heard) to Santa. He always makes it back to our house before we wake up in the morning, usually having found a silly new perch for the day.

So far this year we've found him hanging upside-down from our mistletoe...

...and peeking out from our Christmas tree...

The first thing Avery and Noel do when they come downstairs every morning is search for Fred and his new hiding place. They giggle at the absurdity of the spot he has chosen, wish him a "good morning," and then promptly move on with their day. They pretty much forget about their little buddy until one (or, often, both) of them does (do) something bad. At that point I see them quickly scan the room to remind themselves of Fred's location du jour and then spend a few moments peering at him out of the corners of their eyes. They soon regroup by apologizing for their transgressions and amending their behavior. It's amazing! Amazingly wonderful. I wish that Fred could stick around for the other 11 months of the year...though, I'm sure if he did, his power to so effectively alter my children's actions would fade...almost as quickly as his interest in finding new hiding spots...if you know what I mean (wink, wink).

Having Fred visit us each year is such a fun tradition for our family. It's so nice having his smiling face around the house, helping to add to the Christmas cheer. I've heard from others that their elves sometimes play funny tricks, so we'll have to keep a close eye on our Fred...