Elf on the Shelf

Yep... I said it! Those dreaded four words that most parents wish never existed. That trend we all feel compelled to follow but secretly hate that it became a trend. Though it does cause me a small amount of anxiety on the late night moves; I've learned to rather enjoy the Elf on the Shelf shenanigans.

I'm not going to spend the time talking you through what the "bleeping" Elf on the Shelf is, because if you're an American... you know what it is. Heck.... if you're human, you know what it is! So, I'm going to make this blog post short and sweet. The point... how to bring your "A" game with the Elf on the Shelf. A bulleted list of ways to impress your kids, minimal time and effort, and far less anxiety. Why post this in September? See #1!!!!! Good Luck and may the spirit of Christmas be with you!

1.Plan ahead! Don't wait til 11 p.m. to decide where the Elf is Moving. Be ready!

• Start pinning ideas on Pinterest now

• Buy small trinkets from the Dollar Store for the Elf to Bring.

• Buy some cheap books from your child's Scholastic Book Order the teacher sends home or Fall Book fair for the elf to bring.

• If it honestly makes you feel better... map that s*&$ out! Get out a calendar and write down the ideas you pin on the calendar so you are ready to go!

• Think of themes and have your Elf do things, move or bring gifts around the theme.

2. When December rolls around, take pictures and post them on social media. Your friends will thank you for the ideas. They won't have read this awesome blog post to plan ahead and will feverishly be running around trying to figure out where to move the damn elf at 11 p.m. You'll be their saving grace!

3. Get in the Christmas spirit! More than likely you did this for your kid(s). So make it a big deal, have fun with it and take time to enjoy it while it lasts! If you find yourself having a hard time with #3... drink wine... that helps!