Chester does 2017

Lilian knew full well it was me hiding Chester this year and had no qualms about touching him or picking him up. She'd compliment me when I displayed Chester in a particularly creative way or if it took her awhile to find him. Overall, I think she still looked forward to looking for him each morning and enjoyed the experience. As did I. As much of a hassle it is sometimes to remember late at night or first thing in the morning to hide the little guy...I still enjoy the tradition of it all and watching Lilian's excitement. I even get a kick out of finding a particularly fun or new idea that I can use from pinterest. (Is that weird?)

See here for when I spilled the beans about Chester not being real.

Hanging from the lamp, aided by a sparkly Christmas light necklace (no, he is not trying to strangle himself, no matter how it may look). Sitting in our new wreath above the fireplace. Setting up a cozy movie night with popcorn, hot chocolate, and Home Alone. Hanging out with the little girlie elves on the bookshelf downstairs. Reading the Christmas stories. Suggesting we watch The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Sporting some long wrapping paper legs. A little Merry Christmas message written on the eggs in the fridge. And blowing chewing gum bubbles.

 A cotton ball bath in the bathroom sink.

 Who knew that Chester had flying reindeer powers? (Lilian actually set this one up.)

 A post-it-note Christmas tree.

 On the gallery wall above the stairs.

 Sitting in a Titanic White Star Line goblet on the shelf in the kitchen.

 Ahh...my favorite of this season: Chester climbing up the wall using Christmas bows.

 Game night with the nutcrackers!

 Hiding in the pantry with some finger lights so he can see.

 Sipping hot chocolate from the tops of the cupboards.

See ya next year, Chester...

Another year of our mischievous Chester the Elf

It is clear that I have missed taking a few pictures of Chester's shenanigans. I only have 14 pictures and clearly I should have something like 24. (Truth be told...I think also missed moving him a few days.) But nonetheless, here they are...mostly because Lilian loves to go back and re-live the silliness that is our Elf on the Shelf.

To be honest...I kind of let the cat out of the bag this year in regards to Chester. To be clear, I'd never pushed the Elf in the way that was intended. I did not tell Lilian that Chester watched her throughout the day and reported back to Santa as to whether she was naughty or nice. My idea behind starting the Elf to begin with was just as a fun Christmas type game, a memorable tradition. But because many of her friends had Elves at their houses and did believe the whole shebang...I didn't want Lilian spilling the beans. So I didn't push the Elf is real story, but I also didn't deny it.

Back to my story...
Lilian and some friends from her class pooled their money (oh, who am I kidding...it was my money) to buy an Elf on the Shelf for their classroom at school. I wondered about this, but said nothing. One of the moms went to the store to buy said Elf, and then Lilian and friends spent much time coming up with creative way to hide and display him each day, talking about going to school early to make sure everything was in place before the rest of the class showed up, etc. So I just assumed that without talking to me about it, Lilian had realized that the Elf on the Shelf was not real. One day as she was mulling over ideas, I mentioned that pinterest was a good place to find inspiration and that I got a whole lot of my ideas there when hiding Chester in years past.

Oh. My.
Lilian was confused and dismayed and crying.
Very quickly I realized that she still thought Chester was very much real.
I was very confused and dismayed myself!
But she had bought an elf for her class, I told her. She was moving it around each morning, I said. And therefore touching the Elf...a big no-no in Elf on the Shelf world. How was she explaining that? Apparently she and her little friends were under the impression that if you didn't touch the elf, Santa would imbue his magic on the little guy and he would come to life. Because she and her friends were touching the Elf, theres was just a toy.
Oh. Facepalm.
She told me I had ruined Christmas forever and ran to her room in a huff.

It may not have quite the same excitement, but I still plan to hide our little Chester each Christmas season for as long as she'd like me to. She may know now that it's me. But I think she'd still enjoy the actual game of it now?

Hoarding the Santa hat kisses. Hanging out with our mini Sister Croft on the gallery wall. Doing gymnastics with the carolers. And making sprinkle angels in the kitchen.

Checking out the wonders of the universe with the telescope. Hiding in the poinsettia plant. Hovering over the kitchen table. And making snowmen out of powdered donuts and kisses.

 Atop a TP tower in the bathroom. Trying on Rebekah's missionary tag. Sporting new socks for Lilian. And hiding in the lantern. (It took Lilian a long while to find him that morning...)

Hanging from a candy cane chain in the living room. And hanging from the lamp in the front entry way.

Chester the Elf: year four

Lilian loves this little guy...but I do think this may be the last year she believes fully in him. Granted, that would be okay. I started this whole thing with the idea in mind of a Christmas game of sorts, a fun little tradition that would be something special for Lilian seeing she is so much younger than her siblings and kind of missed out on some of the fun things we did when the other three were young and excited about Santa. However, I never pushed the whole "Chester watches you throughout the day and reports back to Santa each night, so you better be good" angle. I never really intended for her to believe so fully in his magical realness. But when Chester first showed up four Christmases ago, Lilian had a lot of friends with elves and I didn't want to ruin that....Lilian is not the best at secrets. So though I didn't push it, I also didn't deny it.

Lilian has been asking a lot of questions this year...not only about Chester but also Santa. And that makes sense because this was the age that her brother and sisters figured things out. So I sidestepped some questions this year not wanting to really drop everything on her right during the middle of the Christmas season. But I'm pretty sure that next year if we do Chester, she will fully know that it is me hiding the little guy and creating the mischief he gets into each night. At least I'm hoping she will still want to continue on with the tradition just for the fun of it. Because I tell you what, I've certainly enjoyed it!

So for posterity sake (and for Lilian down the road because she enjoys seeing these pictures) here's our third season of Chester, our elf on the shelf.

*Hanging out with our "mini Sister Croft" on top of the picture frames.
*Making Minions out of the bananas.
*Messing around with the bandaids.
*Building a tower out of the Christmas stories.
*Holding a Santa balloon.
*Listening to some Elvis Christmas on vinyl.

*Decorating the kitchen with over 100 Christmas bows in honor of Bryan's birthday.
*Reading in 3 Nephi 1:13-21 about the sign of Christ's birth in Bethlehem.
*Hide and Seek in the toilet paper rolls in the bathroom.
*Chocolate oranges....yum!
*Playing solitaire.
*A game of chess with Lilian's stuffed monkey with chocolate kisses as pieces.
*Bowling with pinecones and an ornament.

*Hiding out on the mistletoe with extra big googly eyes...hoping to catch someone doing some smooching. (Lilian caught her sister under the mistletoe a day or two before with her boyfriend so she thought this was especially funny.)
*Mapping out all the different places the family was during this week....the majority of us in Utah, Bryan on a business trip in New Jersey and Rebekah in England.
*Doing an iron cross of sorts in the midst of the family pictures in the hall.
*Stringing Christmas lights around the sink and toilet in the bathroom.
*Climbing a tree (or plant, really) in the kitchen.

*Pinned up with a bunch of candy canes on a line in the downstairs hallway.
*Reading "The Night Before Christmas."
*Silly clown-like noses on all of us.
*And on Christmas Eve morning Lilian awoke to find a note from Chester thanking her for another season of fun and a stuffed elf that she was allowed to hold and play with while he was gone.

Elf antics

As per Lilian's instructions (because she loves looking back at old pictures of our adventures with Chester the Elf) and so that I don't repeat myself too frequently hiding said elf in future years...here is our most recent Christmas season worth of elf antics.

Chester showed up a few days later than normal because we were late getting going on holiday decor due to our family Cruise/Universal Studios trip. And I think I missed at least one day of documentation. But without further ado...

Day 1: Chester with googly eyes sitting on the kitchen table with a note that he would be "watching" this season.
Day 2: Strung up by the army men.
Day 3: "Do you wanna build a snowman?"
Day 4: Chocolate cravings...

Day 5: Lipstick note on the bathroom mirror (which then traumatized Lilian when she didn't notice him there until she was already in the middle of going potty....caught with her pants down, oops.)
Day 6: Spelling out his name in the hallway out of post-it notes.
Day 7: Singing with my collection of carolers.
Day 8: Holding baby Jesus. (This Fisher Price nativity is in Lilian's bedroom and she insisted on getting dressed in another room so Chester could not see her. Sigh.)

Day 9: Making his own wings out of sparkly pipe cleaner and joining the Willow Tree angels.
Day 10: Hanging out in the "C" stocking hook (out of PEACE) because C is for Chester. And bringing a little mini-me elf toy/treat for Lilian.
Day 11: Peek-a-boo from the plant in the kitchen window sill.
Day 12: Pyramid cup stacking.

Day 13: Camouflaged in the Christmas tree with some binoculars.
Day 14: Head over heels down the stairs in the slinky.
Day 15: Hanging out in the pantry surrounded by hot cocoa, chocolate oranges and candy canes...with some glow sticks for light.
Day 16: An elf inspired grocery list...
Day 17: An end-of-year Sunday reminder to the kids to pay their tithing.

Day 18: Hanging from a candy cane rope in the front entry way. (We had to watch carefully all day that we didn't bump into the little guy.)
Day 19: Photo shoot with Lilan's favorite dolls.
Day 20: Picking out his favorite Christmas music...Carpenters Christmas and Lex de Azevedo's 1980 Christmas. (Good taste...those are my favorites too...)
Day 21: Chester's final day with us before being picked up by Santa on Christmas Eve....a heart made out of candy canes and a note thanking us for the fun season and assuring Lilian that despite some ups and downs, he was recommending to Santa that she be on the "good list." (Lilian was so relieved.)

Making traumatic Christmas memories...

I sent Lilian in to use the bathroom while I stayed in the kitchen, packing her backpack and putting together her home lunch. The bus was due in about 10 minutes and we were running late. I assumed she'd see Chester, our elf on the shelf, as soon as she walked in the door. I mean, he was pretty obvious sitting there on the sink. Not to mention the message in lipstick written across the mirror. It was designed to catch her attention, after all. But catch her attention it did not. Due to the fact that she was still half asleep, it was not until she was sitting on the toilet that she noticed the elf. And then she was horrified that Chester had more or less caught her with her pants down.

I think I may have traumatized my 7-year old. So much for happy, magical, Christmas memories....

Chester the Elf

The Elf on the Shelf backlash got worse this year. Everything from being a waste of time, to the elves being creepy and just another way to lie to our children and manipulate them into behaving. I was slightly embarrassed to admit that we play the Elf on the Shelf game. Except you know what? That's what it is for us. Just a silly little Christmas game. And though especially in the month of December I don't have a lot of time, there is this handy little website called Pinterest that has loads of ideas and pictures that I can copy. (Which I did. Only a very few of the Chester ideas are my own and those are the ones that are incredibly simple.) Lilian adores Chester. And for a little girl who is growing up in a household with a bunch of older teenagers who have long since passed the stage of believing in Santa, it's especially nice for her to have this little bit of Christmas magic and sparkle.

So because she still enjoys looking at the pictures we posted last year of Chester and his crazy antics, here is 24 days worth of this year's Elf on the Shelf.....

Day 1: Chester leaves an M&M message.
Day 2: Making Fruit Loop necklaces on the kitchen counter.
Day 3: Fishing for Goldfish crackers in the toilet with a candy cane fishing rod.
Day 4: Playing pool.
Day 5: Bungee jumping with Lilian's slinky from the upstairs banister into the basement.
Day 6: Modeling the new elf shirt Lilian left for him from the top of the Christmas tree.

Day 7:  Reading the Christmas stories.
Day 8:  Making snowflakes on an especially snowy day.
Day 9:  Play Blokus with Woody, Piglet and Draculaura.
Day 10: Listening to Rebekah's tunes on her iPod.
Day 11: Getting creative with Lilian's stickers.
Day 12: Crazy string mess.

Day 13: Playing Christmas carols on the baby grand.
Day 14: Kissing booth....chocolate kisses, yum!
Day 15: All tied up in the Christmas lights on the alpine trees that were getting prepped for the front porch.
Day 16: Playing hide and seek in the front hallway.
Day 17: Taking selfies with the photo booth app on the laptop.
Day 18: Roasting marshmallows in the flame of the Christmas pine scented candle.

Day 19: Making snowflakes out of Q-tips on another snowy day.
Day 20: Hide and Seek above the stockings in the basement.
Day 21: Wrapping himself up in the gift wrap and hiding with the presents under the tree.
Day 22: Reading scriptures about the birth of Christ on a Sunday morning.
Day 23: Hanging upside down in the kitchen all day.
Day 24: To say goodbye for the season, Chester printed out various pictures we had taken of him throughout the season and hung them up along with all the other Christmas cards that had arrived in the mail from friends and family.

Lilian was sad that Chester had to leave, even if she understood why. She loves that strange little elf. So to heck with the naysayers....I'm sure our elf will be back next year.

Prayers of a 6-year old girl

Lilian said the prayer on our family dinner last night. And along with blessing the food she prayed for three specific things.

1. That the chickens and ducks wouldn't die "...in the next few weeks."
She prays for our feathered friends frequently and tends to ask God not to let them die. To which Bryan has reminded her that all animals die eventually. So she has amended her plea to not allowing them to die for some indeterminate amount of time. I think she was a little worried because she has overheard us talking about the measures that need be taken to keep the little buggers warm in the upcoming days when temperatures are set to drop into the 20's. Lilian loves those chickens and ducks. So much so that every time someone asked her what she was thankful for during Thanksgiving week, "my ducks and chickens" were the first thing she mentioned.

2. That Chester will keep finding places to hide and won't lose his magic.
Our Elf on the Shelf has made his reappearance after a successful inaugural season last Christmas. Though we've tried to have Chester be more of a fun tradition rather than a threat to "Be good or I'll report back to Santa...." and have tried to downplay his supposed "magic" qualities, we have to be careful. Lilian isn't known for her stellar secret keeping abilities. And seeing as quite a few of her friends also have their own family elves and DO fully believe in the whole Elf on the Shelf propaganda, the last thing we need is for Lilian to ruin it for them. So though we don't push it, we don't deny it either....and Lilian has come away with the absolute belief that Chester will not continue to come alive at night and hide in new places if she touches him during the day.

Sunday morning, Chester's first day back, Lilian was delighted to find him on our hearth with a message spelled out in M&Ms. Later that afternoon Lilian was asleep on the couch when Julianne decided she had a hankering for a handful of chocolate. The message itself had been nibbled on throughout the day so, carefully checking to make sure Lilian was still sleeping, she picked Chester up out of the bag with one hand and reached in with the other. And wouldn't you know it, Lilian woke up at that exact moment to catch Julianne in the act of touching the elf!! Oh the horror! The poor girl was distraught. How could Julianne do such a thing? Didn't she know that Chester now wouldn't be able to hide in new places anymore? Lilian spent the next hour frantically writing apology notes....

And in case you don't read phonetically, here is the translation:

Chester, we are sorry. Please come alive tomorrow. It's the first day. I'm sorry for touching you. My sister is sorry for picking you up. We are sorry.
P.S. Pretty please HIDE!

She was tremendously relieved to find Chester making Fruit Loop necklaces on the kitchen counter the next morning...happy and still magical. The sound she made when she saw that Chester was not languishing on the hearth was something between a sigh of relief and a whoop of joy. And now she prays daily that Chester won't lose his magic. Sigh.

3. That she won't end up on Santa's naughty list.
Once again....sigh. Blame this one on Dora the Explorer's Christmas special where Dora and Swiper the sneaky fox work hard to cure Swiper of his swiping habit so he can show Santa that he deserves to be taken off the naughty list and reassigned to the nice list.

Bryan and I shared an eye roll when Lilian finished her prayer. But these are things that are important to a 6-year old. And if she has concerns, even about things that seem somewhat silly to the rest of us, and turns to prayer and her faith that God is listening...well, that's not a bad thing, is it?

The Christmas post...

...you know, the one with all the obscene amounts of pictures. (Not to be confused, of course, with actual obscene pictures. This post has a most definite G-rating.)

Christmas Eve...

We drove through a massive snow storm to get down to Bryan's parents house for the family party. We were late. But we didn't slide off the road, so that's something.
Lilian got to play Mary in the annual Christmas Nativity. Her first time so she was very excited. And took the responsibility rather seriously...her face, the perfect definition of "serene." Throw in a wiseman and a couple of members of the holy angelic choir and you've got our family pegged.

My gift was wrapped in an enormous bow covered in music notes. My in-laws know me well...

Christmas Day....

Lilian woke up at 7:45...extremely early for her. And immediately made a beeline for the living room. Luckily the sound of her feet thumping to the floor woke me up and I was able to do a mad dash to head her off before she saw too much, too soon. This made her mad. A grumpy 5-year old was not what I had in mind when I had envisioned Christmas morning. Nor was an an early wake up call from a girl who normally sleeps till at least 9:00. (Last year we had to wake her up.) I stuck her in the TV room with a "Curious George" to calm her down a bit while I began the process of waking the teens. We didn't get out to see what Santa brought till about 9:00, over an hour after Lilian had awoken. This being, I'm sure, a severe test of her patience.

The kids happily sorting through their stockings and appeased for the time being...I began breakfast prep. Crepes. A hugely time consuming meal to prepare but the one that had been requested and was a bit of a Christmas morning tradition. By the time all was ready and on the table, Bryan had gone back to bed. So another wake up call was in order before we could begin. And I only detail this part of our morning to show how much time was passing. So that you can fully appreciate the amazement of the fact that we did not sit down to open the gifts under the tree until close to 1:00 in the afternoon!!  (And a few more !!! for emphasis!) This is a bit unheard of with kids. I knew that the great majority of families had long since unwrapped the contents of their tree long before we even started in on our stockings. But I tell you what...it was nice! We had nowhere to be, just us all day long. How relaxing to spread things out a bit (lot).

And as a friend so aptly and eloquently stated about her own living room..."It looks like the North Pole got sick in here!"

And the day after Christmas....

It snowed. Again. Christmas, the day we had nowhere to be and therefore nowhere to drive, was sunny and dry. But like Christmas Eve, the day after Christmas we drove through a massive snowstorm to get to my parents house. We were early...having left earlier to give ourselves more time. See how we learn from our lessons? And we didn't slide of the road, even when we saw numerous other cars doing exactly that. So that's something. Plus it helps to have a big truck with four-wheel drive.

Side note: we came home to 8 inces of snow. EIGHT INCHES!! You have no idea how giddy I was. Could not wipe the grin off my face. Well, you know...after I was finally able to unclench my fingers from the nerve-wracking drive home...

And not that this post isn't long enough as it is, but seeing as I've taken the time to document our first year with Chester, our elf on the shelf...it would be a shame not to post his final few days with us before he was whisked back to the the North Pole on Christmas Eve? (Ha!) 

The kids were a bit aghast when Chester removed the stockings and hung up their (clean from the laundry room) underwear. I have to admit, I had my reservations...Chester may have stepped over the line into inappropriate behavior a bit there. Lilian, however, thought it was hilarious....