“Mom, come see where Jolly is today!” Matthew, our four year-old son, exclaims every morning.

Jolly is his “Elf on the Shelf™” who arrives at Thanksgiving and stays until Christmas Eve.  The Elf brings a book with him to explain his visit,

“At holiday time Santa sends me to you.

I watch and report on all that you do.

My job’s an assignment from Santa himself.

I am his helper, a friendly scout elf.”

Each night he flies away to the North Pole to give his report to Santa. In the morning he sits on a new perch for children to find.

Every time Matthew does something naughty we say,

“You better watch out ‘cause Jolly will give a bad report to Santa.”

He looks wide-eyed at Jolly and tries to behave … we have certainly noticed more good conduct since Jolly’s arrival.

Welcoming Jolly into our Christmas traditions has been fun with the added benefit of less naughty and more nice … what a wonderful gift for children and parents alike!

If you would like to add to your family Christmas traditions with your own elf, you can learn more at www.elfontheshelf.com. I know other families who have Santa scouts such as a teddy bear and even a stuffed frog.

So, I encourage you to be creative and invite your own Santa scout into your home. Whatever form he takes, he’ll surely bring laughter, lasting memories and an incentive for good behavior. Now that’s a family tradition you hope will last the whole year through!