You've seen it on Pinterest. You've seen it on Facebook. You've seen it in Barnes and Noble. You've probably even seen it in Target. The Elf on the Shelf. That little person that gets away with things that we would never allow our children to do. Well, last Christmas, our family adopted our own elf on November 27th. It seemed like the best time since Alice was now 2 and beginning to understand the holiday (and her behavior) a little more. Several folks told me, "Your elf is supposed to come the DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING!" Well...to you I say, I guess it's a good thing 2 year olds don't know the difference between one day and one week.) 

After opening her up and beginning the story, Alice decided to name our elf Christmas. (Oh so original, I know...but hey, at least she didn't name her Scout! And if you don't have your own EotS, you have no idea why that means anything!) We also made a few other decisions about our elf: 1.) Santa thinks it is okay for children to love on their elf and play with them on their first night and last night with the family, 2.) our elf would travel with us (we had planned a weekend trip to go to the Polar Express and Christmas just had to join us!) and 3.) Our elf would not participate in naughty behavior. If the elf is supposed to be an eye watching over your child to make sure they are doing the right things, why is it okay for them to do things that are unacceptable? Christmas should be a role model elf for Alice. Plus, who wants to make a mess for show then have to clean it up?!?! 

I will admit, some nights Christmas was in some really interesting places. And some nights she was in places that were nothing extraordinary to adults but were still fun places for Alice. Every morning, Alice would wake up and run through the house looking for Christmas. As soon as she found her, she would always say, "No touch her!" and hold her hands toward herself. It was truly adorable to see the magic of Christmas, both the season and the elf, growing in my daughter. On her last night with us, Alice was allowed to play with Christmas, hug her, give her kisses, and she even slept with Alice. Then when Alice woke up the day after Christmas, our friendly elf had made her trek back to the North Pole. 

I turned to Pinterest for some ideas. I wanted to do as much on my own as I could...stubborn teacher in me, I guess. I have posted most of our photos from Christmas' visit below...maybe there are some ideas that you can use with your elf next year. I know I will be using all of the pins I have found...no more re-inventing (or attempting to re-invent) the elf wheel! If you have some awesome ideas, please share! Leave a comment with the idea or a link to your blog! 

I love Christmas. I always have and I hope I always will. I love giving gifts to my friends and family. I love baking yummy goodies to pass out to friends, family, clients, coworkers, and employees. I love hosting my mom's family on Christmas night as we share in the blessing of this holiday together. There isn't much I don't love about Christmas. And this love has grown exponentially since having a child. 

My first Christmas tree was a themed tree and while it was pretty, it just wasn't me. So in 2005 I started using various ornaments. That year I bought a bunch of cheap ornaments at the Dollar Tree but I have added sentimental ornaments since then. As a matter of fact, every year my family members get me an ornament for my tree and any time we travel, that is the one thing I buy when we stop in different towns. We have ornaments from the U.S. Treasury (it is actually a wreath made of shredded money), Hershey Park, Colonial Williamsburg, Tweetsie Railroad...just to name a very few. 

That being said, one of the special gifts I enjoy making to family and friends are ornaments. This year, I tried my hand at glass ornaments. I purchased several clear glass ornaments, various necklace charms (for Alice's ornament, I bought a guitar and drums to mark our trip to meet The Fresh Beat Band this year; for my teacher partner I used a flip flop and an "A" along with filling the ornament with sand from my wedding...just to name a few ideas), ribbon, and Epsom salt (which makes super great snow in ornaments!). At first, I tried to hot glue the ribbon to the top of the ornament so I could hang the charm from it. Well, that was disastrous! All I did was burn myself and make the ornament unable to close. After a few mess ups I realized I could just poke the metal hook THROUGH the ribbon...DUH! Oh my, how my fingers greatly appreciated that discovery! 

The ornament to the right was a simple Minnie Mouse ornament I made for Alice using Mod Podge and glitter...that is all! Using a q-tip, I applied the Mod Podge in the shape of Minnie's head WITHOUT the bow. I added the black glitter and let it dry for a couple of hours. Then I applied Mod Podge in the shape of Minnie's hairbow...or he-bew as Alice calls it...and added the pink glitter. She was THRILLED over this ornament! Below you will see just a few other ornaments that I made this year. Hover your mouse over them to see more of a description. 

Another cool ornament that I helped make last year was the "I Spy" ornaments that I did with the children on our Polar Express trip. I bought a bunch of clear PLASTIC ornaments, tons and tons of BABY DOLL items, such as tools, vegetables, sodas, books, etc., and of course, Epsom salt. Each child picked their own items to include inside their ornament. Once they put their items in, we used a funnel to fill the ornament with "snow". Super cute and wonderfully kid proof! We had children from 2-5 doing this on our trip with ease. Unfortunately, I cannot find my photos of this right now, but I promise I will keep looking and as soon as I find it, I will post it.

This year, my husband and I were really excited about Christmas. It was technically Alice's third Christmas and it was the first Christmas that she would really be into opening gifts. We had decided to take her to ride the Polar Express in the mountains of North Carolina. After talking to my sister in law and some friends, we all decided to rent a cabin so everyone could go. In all we had 6 adults and 5 children. (Poor Alice is the only one without a sibling...maybe 2013 will change that!) 

I wanted to do something special for the kids. I knew that the best part about the Polar Express train ride was wearing your pjs...oh, and meeting Santa. At first I looked for matching pajamas to buy then I thought, "Why buy when I can sew!" The next time I get that thought, I hope someone smacks some sense into me! While it was so fun getting it all done for the kids and it was just precious to see them in their matching pajamas, it was a ton of work! (Of course, I know I would do it again in a heartbeat!)

I drew my own "template" based on the sizing measurements for each kid. Because we were going to the mountains, I made the pants with a flannel lining. Each pair had a cuffed leg. The shirts were made using the same train template, just shrunken down based on the shirt size. I cut out the train using the same fabric that was used for the pants so they would be a matching set. I used interfacing on the shirts. 

When it was all said and done, it took me about three weeks to complete all 5 sets. These were the first big project I made (other than curtains) and I learned a lot about sewing while making them. Now I feel like a semi-pro...especially when they didn't fall apart in the wash!