Chippy

Speaking of other people taking credit for things, Lola believes that her Elf on the Shelf (whom she calls Chippy) is responsible for the chocolates in the advent calendar. (Here is a photo of the advent calendar that I made last year when I was feeling super crafty. Each square is a felt pocket that hold a ghirardelli peppermint bark chocolate square.)

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Elf on the Shelf premise, I will quickly explain. The Elf arrives in the mail, sent by Santa to keep an eye on the children. The elf goes to the North Pole each night to inform Santa of whether the children were naughty or nice, and then returns in the morning for another day of observation.

I had mixed feelings over whether to introduce this concept to Lola. For one, ,I thought the elf looked a little creepy. I mean, look at him.

But then, I also loved the idea of using this elf as a way to convince my two-year-old to be good. At this age, every little bit helps.

So, I gave in, and a few days later, he arrived via UPS. As I opened the door to get the box, I told Lola, "This is from the North Pole. Santa sent it." Lola saw the UPS truck pull away, and shouted after it, "SANTA!" As a result of my comment, she now believes that UPS and its drivers are agents of Santa. :)

In the beginning, I wasn't sure if she really understood the concept behind the elf. But then, one night, while she was in the bathtub, she asked, "Does Santa watch me when I'm in the tubbie?"

WHOA.

I assured her, no that no one watched her (except whoever was giving her a bath), while she was in the tubbie. Clearly, she understands.

She has also befriended the little elf. Tonight, when she was saying good-night to everyone (Archie, Gizmo, Josh, her seventeen stuffed animals), she said, " Chippy, I am your sister. Good-night."

Oh, my little girl.