Meet Ernie

So far I like him. He was well received and they think his hiding spots are magical and hilarious every morning. We also have used him for behavior management, perhaps too much. Gracie cried all the way to the sitters because she didn't want Ernie to tell Santa that she wasn't listening to me. We're to new this, so we are backing off the whole "naughty list" threat unless absolutely necessary. We are trying to focus on the magic for now, because really, isn't that the best part of Christmas? That feeling of anticipation and magic on Christmas morning? Ernie gives us a little bit of that every day and I think that's fantastic!

He's got these rules though.

No touching him and he can't talk back to you. The problem is when he falls off the chandelier on which he was perched and the kids scream in horror. "DON"T TOUCH HIM MAMA! PICK HIM UP! HE FELL! BUT HE WILL LOSE HIS MAGIC!!!"

I had no choice but to stretch the rules a little and explain how grown-ups can touch him sometimes and pretend that he whispered (in a tiny elf whisper that only grown-ups can hear, naturally) that I could carry him and put him on the tree to rest.

Pretty sure they bought it.

The real magic was in finding him holding a banana in the kitchen this morning, and coming home to find it half eaten.