Elf On The Shelf, TV, Sideboard, etc

I suppose I should be grateful that our Elf On The Shelf didn't join our family until AFTER Christmas last year, thanks to the vagaries of Royal Mail.  He made a couple of out-of-season appearances throughout the year, but Steve (our elf has a distinctly un-elfish name, I know) has mostly stayed in touch using the magic bath phone.  Known to you & I as the shower attachment.

But now he's here.  He's taken up residence in our house, and of course, being an Elf On The Shelf, he has to move around & be in a different & entertaining location each day.  But less than a week in, and I'm running desperately short of ideas.  He's not going in the fridge, there's not enough space in there for food, never mind artistic elf installations.  I don't trust Squeaky not to disturb him if he's within reach, despite the dire warnings of the book.  So after the clock, the bookcase, a wreath on the mirror, the top of the tree, I'm running out of ideas.  In fact, I'm quite glad that we've got a few days away, so at least I can get away with not having to move him for a couple of days (though relocating him between Squeaky leaving the house & going back in could be a whole new challenge)

Elf on the Tree

I'm glad to have Steve, and he's added a nice new tradition, and a reason to rush out of bed in the mornings that doesn't just involve chocolate advent calendars, but it's one more thing to have to remember to do before bed, when my brain isn't at its brightest anyway.  He's going to have to move on from the living room soon, there's not many more places he can sit in here.

Acrobat Elf

Do you have an elf?  Where do you put yours?  Help me out here, I need inspiration, or I'll have to donate him to school for next year & they can deal with him!

Christmas in Squeaky Mansions

If only...  But as it's December tomorrow (have you got your advent calendar ready?) I thought I'd start our Christmas posts, to give you a little insight into the World Of The Squeak.

Neither of our families has a huge number of "Christmas traditions", except they both share one very important one (aside from the dinner, obviously), namely Avoiding The Queen.  Walks, feeding ducks, washing up (if things are really desperate), the age of satellite telly has been the death of this age-old family tradition, because there's always a repeat of a 1970's Christmas Special on somewhere.

So as we didn't really have any family traditions, we decided we'd try to make our own, so that Squeaky will have things she always associates with a family Christmas.  First off, the Christmas Pyjamas. It seems to be quite a popular tradition this one, at least round South Wales, so much so, I don't know who I "borrowed" the idea from. Quite simply, everyone in the family receives a brand new pair of pyjamas to wear to bed on Christmas eve night, which they then wear to open their presents the following morning.  OK, this is a tradition that involves spending a little bit of cash, but everyone needs pyjamas, so it's a good chance to get everyone in decent condition for at least one night of the year!

Second of our traditions is one that truly is part of a traditional Christmas.  After the dinner has been eaten, the pots & pans washed & put away, and at least one round of turkey sandwiches has been made, it's time to break open the cheesy footballs, and gather round the table for a game of cards or two.  Good chance to turn the telly off (please!), cards are always a source of entertainment, and someone will have to remind me the rules of almost every game.  They're much less prone to arguments than scrabble (my dad is legendary for cheating at scrabble and inventing new words), and it's a great way to get an insight into what people are REALLY like - who is determined to win at all costs (me, usually), who throws a temper tantrum when they're first out (brother-in-law), and who is just not paying attention to their cards?  And if you can win actual cash from your nearest & dearest (pennies, admittedly), then all the better!  I have an admission though, the Greek Gods, snooker mascot & Bali Beaches cards above are strictly not for playing with. I have a bit of a love for pretty playing cards, these are for looking at, boring brewery corporate cards are for playing with.  Cards cost next to nothing, especially compared to the board game du jour, can be tailored to almost any age (snap & happy families spring to mind), they're fab for a budget Christmas.

More to follow, another time.