The Elf On The Shelf

Hello, everybody, and welcome to Day #7 in the POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR!  Hard to believe we've made it through the first week, huh?

There's still a lot of holiday left to get through...but before I do that, I want to take time to wish all of my Jewish friends a very Happy Hanukkah!  I know your holiday began yesterday, and I hope that your eight days of celebration are filled with love, joy, and peace.  Mazel tov to you all, and I hope all of you get what you want this season!

Now, onto today's blog entry.  It's certainly considered to be a more modern Christmas tradition, and I suppose in some cases, you probably could use it for other holidays as well.  Would you believe that this tradition is only about a decade old, but has exploded in popularity quite recently?  I think it was right around 2012 that it really became popular, and by 2013, it was very much as big of a holiday tradition as candy canes on Christmas trees and hot chocolate with marshmallows.

I am, of course, talking about the latest craze invading households all over the world - Elf On The Shelf!

But just what is the elf on the shelf?  Well, it's this little guy!

Isn't he cute?

Well, okay.  Some of you might think he's just a little bit annoying, and I'm sure that some people may get a little bit tired of him getting into mischief all over your homes and apartments.  But since the picture book of the same name was released in 2005 along with the elf toy that accompanies the book, families have joined in the tradition of making the elf do all sorts of crazy things to keep an eye out on the children who live in the home - you know, just to see if they're being good or bad!

And believe me when I say that the elf on the shelf can do almost anything.  The limits of creativity are endless when it comes to what you can do with your elf. 

And for today's blog post, I thought I'd show you ten creative ways that people have used their elves to make Christmas magic happen.  And, would you believe that I myself have my own elf on the shelf?  Mind you, he may not be as cute as the one featured in the book, but I'm very proud of him!

Before I get started with this though, I do want to credit the following websites for the images that I have used for this blog post.

iheartnaptime.net

Huffington Post

itsoverflowing.com

Pinterest

overthebigmoon.com

mommysavers.com

familysponge.com

Okay, so shall we get started?

1.  You know, even an elf on the shelf has to get a great night's sleep...but given how soft and comfortable that Kleenex box bed is, I imagine our elf has hit the snooze button at least a half a dozen times.

2.  97, 98, 99, 100!  Whew!  What a workout!  I think next week, I'll try the 454 gram weights!

3.  Spider-Man, Spider-Man, can't hop in a paper sack, my friend.  I will leave you in my dust, I'm the elf on the shelf, and you'll go bust, look out!  I'll beat you Spider-Man!!!

4.  Our elf on the shelf was inspired to build all of these snowmen after watching how delightful Olaf was in "Frozen".  If he starts singing "Let It Go", we'll know to intervene.

5.  Something tells me that our elf is fishing in all the wrong places.  Though, I will say this.  That "lake" has the most crystal blue water that I have ever seen!

6.  Who knew that a party balloon and a pair of briefs would make the perfect elf dirigible!  Just stay away from ceiling fans, and you should be perfectly fine!

7.  Even elves get bored hanging around a shelf.  Sometimes they like to team up together and practice for the Elf On The Shelf Cirque Du Soleil!

8.  Sorry, Crackle.  You've been replaced.  We were looking for someone a little more...cuter.

9.  So, if this is a re-enactment of the nursery rhyme "Rub-A-Dub-Dub", which one is Elfy supposed to be?  The butcher, the baker, or the candlestick maker?

Oh, wait.  His companions are from the gingerbread tribe.  I think we know what the answer is.

10.  Looks like our elf is exhausted.

So, those are just ten ways in which the elf on the shelf can make your Christmas holiday even more magical. 

Now, as I promised, I told you that I have my own elf on the shelf.  And, believe it or not, my elf predates the original elf on the shelf by eighteen years!

Okay, so maybe my elf looks like he may be a descendant of Grumpy from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves", but I made this guy around Christmas 1987 in my first grade class, and he's managed to survive all this time.  It's one of the few things from elementary school that I managed to keep, but he's still hanging around.

And believe it or not, he still has some candy inside of him.  Originally, they were filled with butterscotch candies, but for some reason I never bothered to eat one, and that candy has remained...for twenty-eight years now.

I wonder if it still tastes good?  I'm almost afraid to put an almost 30-year-old piece of candy anywhere near my mouth...