Abbeville families take part in Elf On The Shelf

It looks like an elf, less than a foot high, has brought the magic back into Christmas.
That elf comes from The Elf on Shelf, which is a fun activity that is shared between children and parents leading up to Christmas. The activity features a small elf called a scout elf. There are rules explained about the scout elf that children must follow or else the scout elf won’t have magic to go back to the North Pole.
For the last seven years, the appearance of the scout elf has become a Christmas tradition. The special scout elf is sent from the North Pole to help Santa Claus manage his naughty and nice lists. When a family adopts a scout elf and gives it a name, the scout elf receives its Christmas magic and can fly to the North Pole each night to tell Santa Claus about all of the day’s adventures. Each morning, the scout elf returns to its family and perches in a different place to watch the fun. Children love to wake up and race around the house looking for their scout elf each morning.
The scout elf could be found either on a ceiling fan, on the Christmas tree or on top of the sink or microwave. Some have been found on the toilet with toilet paper wrapped around or near dolls or toys.
It is not uncommon to have cookies next to the scout elf, or note which were written by the small elf.
Here is the catch, the scout elf is not really going to the North Pole and then flying back to a warm home. For about a month, each night after the children go to bed, a parent has to move the elf throughout the house for the children to locate.
When a child locates the elf in the house, he or she can not touch it or it will lose its magic powers. For 24 hours it remains on top of the TV or microwave.
Two Abbeville families have been playing the Elf on the Shelf activity for years.
Troy and Laurie Laporte have been playing Elf on the Shelf with 8-year-old Camille for four years. Chippie, the scout elf’s name, paid his first visit on Dec. 5 with a note that said, “I’m back.”!
“She loves it,” said Laurie, who is mainly responsible for moving the elf.
Laurie enjoys playing Elf on the Shelf but says creativity is a must to keep her child interested.
“This can take time and a lot of thought,” said Laurie. “It is definitely worth the time and effort to see her smile and experience joy when Chippie is spotted.”
She admits when finding a place for Chippie, she keeps it simple. She has yet to toilet paper her house and blame it on Chippie.
Alisa and Brian Bertrand have two boys, Aaron, 10, and Aidan, who is 8. The Bertrand family have had its scout elf, called “Froggy” since 2008. Last week, they purchased a raindeer that is part of Elf on the Shelf. The raindeer can be touched and held.
Alisa said depending on her mood will depend on where Froggy will rest for the night.
“There are some nights I try to be creative with it and there are other nights it is normal,” said Alisa
Alisa said she has placed the scout elf on the toilet and wrote “Let it go. Let it go. Don’t hold back any more,” and blamed the elf for the writing. Another time she placed the elf in the ice box next to the milk. The milk magically appeared green and once again, Froggy was responsible.
The younger Aidan looks forward to searching for the elf each morning over Aaron, she said. Aaron will look up, but Aidan will go down low in the house. Neither boy has questioned the elf story yet but Alisa knows that day is coming.
“It is going to be a sad day when that happens,” she said. “It means one of those chapters are closing, which I am not ready for.”
In the mean time, Alisa will continue to search for creative places to place “Froggy.” “I like doing it. At first it is exciting but then you run out of ideas.”
A couple of days before Christmas, Chippie and Froggy leave notes for the children and then head back to the North Pole.