This week, the kids got a surprise when they found our Elf Magic elf, Ryan, sleeping outside in the milk delivery bin. Although they knew he would be coming to stay the holidays with us again, they didn’t expect him quite this early as he usually shows up some time after Thanksgiving. Also a surprise for them was that he brought along his sister, Mindy, to stay with us as well this year.
We actually had heard quite a bit about Mindy as Ryan had talked of his sister in past years, usually complaining about how much pink she liked. But, I knew he missed her because of the way he always had a picture of her with him in his Snow Case, and I think he secretly had always wished she could come visit, too. So, this year I asked Santa if he could send them both.
If you thought the kids were happy last year when Ryan finally arrived, you should have seen how deliriously happy they were when they saw two elves waiting for them on the front porch. And, I could tell that Mindy and Ryan were glad to be here because even though they were clearly sleepy from all of their travels, they still put up with quite a bit snuggling and playing before they finally crashed and slept the rest of the day.
As hard as we tried to wake them for dinner, they slept straight through to bedtime so we left them sleeping in the living room. Always a good host, we left their favorite snack on the counter of crackers {it reminds them of snow crunching} and ice water {snowflakes melting} in case they got hungry while we slept. Then we sprinkled them with some Elf-Magic snowflakes to make them feel right at home.
And, oh boy did they make themselves at home. We came downstairs the next day to quite the scene with two elves who had decided to make their own winter wonderland out of our baking supplies. We’re talking snow {flour} angels, makeshift North Pole {candy cane} and tracks leading all around my previously clean kitchen. Of course, the kids thought it was hilarious and I let them play in the flour and candy a bit before we all helped clean it up.
But, by this time, Mindy and Ryan were pretty worn out from all of their nighttime Elfcapades and ended up falling asleep on the counter, so we moved them to their beds. It was then that we found the note they left us letting us know how happy they were to be here and how excited Mindy was to meet us after all she’s heard about us.
And, Mindy has truly been a delight to have around and a great addition to our holiday fun. Whether we are baking, snuggling, or exploring on one of our many nature walks, she wants to be right there with us. Although she’s still acclimating to our comparatively warm climate, and complains about our “heat wave”, she’s definitely an adventurous elf who loves the outdoors as much as our family… even if she sometimes sleeps through most of it.
Since they spend most of their days sleeping, we have given Mindy the pink doll bed {don’t worry, we removed all the “too hot” covers} and have gotten Ryan a little sleeping bag {don't worry, it's not pink} that he can snuggle into so they have a place of their own. The kids love tucking them in and rocking them, and reading them stories about Christmas while they rest.
And, then after a day of snoozing off and on, Mindy and Ryan get a surge of energy each evening which is when they get into all of their mischief. Every morning, we find all sorts of clues as to what they were doing when we slept, and it’s always fun to see what kind of Elfcapades they got themselves into.
I must say, I wasn’t really feeling in a Christmas-y mood this year and was feeling very “bah humbug!” until Mindy and Ryan arrived. Now that they are here, it’s a nice break from the planning, buying, wrapping, and organizing and it’s as if everything got just a little more magical. Really, it would be hard not to feel the magic of Christmas with TWO little magic elves in the house spreading happiness and Christmas Cheer wherever they go.
After years of celebrating with Ryan he really has become part of the family. I can’t imagine the holidays without him so now I’m thrilled that Mindy came to join us as well. I’m looking forward to spending the next few weeks together before they return to the North Pole and am looking forward to their nightly Elfcapades.
If you would like to start a wonderful family tradition with your kids, you can check out Elf-Magic.com and see all about how to send Santa a letter requesting your own boy or girl Magic Elf visit you this holiday season! You can also click on the Elfcapades tab and see what kinds of adventures other families have had with their elves!
Connect with www.elf-magic.com via Facebook and Twitter to see great stories of Elf-Magic elves all over the world! Want to read more about our adventures with Ryan? Keep reading here: 1st Elf-Magic post
A big thank you to Santa for answering my letter and sending Ryan and Mindy the elf to share our home this holiday season. May your holidays be just as magical!
What a neat tradition. I’ve never heard of elf magic before. So cute and fun!