In celebrating my first Christmas in retirement, I am sharing past columns I’ve written about Christmas. I call them the 12 columns of Christmas. The following was written for Dec.21, 2014.
There are few things more special and uplifting than the sense of wonder and excitement we see in the eyes of children. They enjoy the smallest and simplest things. They love what is imaginary.
For me, their fascination translates into hope.
That’s why so much of what is imaginary in our world is truly important. It exists in the form of Santa Claus, the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny.
More recently, there is The Elf on the Shelf.
Our oldest daughter caught the Elf craze several years ago, and it has become a special part of the Christmas excitement for her family. For my wife and me, also.
The Elf on the Shelf craze was started several years ago by Creatively Classic Activities and Books, an Atlanta company. According to its website, elfontheshelf.com:
“The Elf on the Shelf ®: A Christmas Tradition” includes a special scout elf sent from the North Pole to help Santa Claus manage his naughty and nice lists. When a family adopts a scout elf and gives it a name, the scout elf receives its Christmas magic and can fly to the North Pole each night to tell Santa Claus about all of the day’s adventures. Each morning, the scout elf returns to its family and perches in a different place to watch the fun. Children love to wake up and race around the house looking for their scout elf each morning.”
Of course it is a commercial venture because the small stuffed figure costs $29.95. In today’s market, that’s not outrageous. Our family certainly had more than that in enjoyment.
The real fun is created by Santa’s other helpers, usually moms and dads.
When the Christmas season begins sometime after Thanksgiving — some of us still believe that’s when it should start — the elf shows up in our daughter’s home. Her four children named him Pogo. They always come up with interesting names. They named their crayfish Harry Jr. the third.
Every morning Pogo is found in a different place, usually in a specially created setting or having done something slightly mischievous or whimsical. Our grandchildren are excited to find Pogo and see what he did. Every day, we watch for the pictures posted on Facebook.
Our daughter, who is a kindergarten teacher, actually has Pogo’s schedule planned out on an Elf calendar that begins on the Friday after Thanksgiving with an Elf breakfast. After that, every morning is a new adventure and a surprise until he returns to the North Pole on Christmas Eve.
Pogo has made a snow angel in flour, taken a marshmallow bath in a bowl, had a snowball fight with other toys (cotton balls), taken down the kids’ stockings on the fireplace and replaced them with their underwear, drawn mustaches on family pictures and read a Christmas story to the stuffed animals.
He has left letters, including one reminding the children to clean up the playroom or Santa was going to call him back to the North Pole. It worked.
Our family has never emphasized the imaginary over the real reason for the season. Christmas is still about the birth of Christ, which is the greatest sign of hope this world has received.
Pogo is just one more part of what makes this time of year special for children. Their excitement helps to make this time of year special for all of us.
Merry Christmas.
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