Buby + Bleu: Christmas Tradition #4: The Elf

If you ask our children what's their favorite part of the holidays... I'm pretty sure they'd say the elf. Even the baby is borderline obsessed this year.

The elf magically appeared in our kitchen in December 2010. Buby and Bleu quickly named him Luca. He watched over our house all month, flying to the North Pole at night to report our good deeds to Santa. This year we celebrated his return a few days after Thanksgiving. Each morning the children race downstairs to find him in a different spot. It's so cool.

The elf's one rule is that he cannot be touched. Or he'll lose his magic. Our children adore Luca and b-e-l-i-e-v-e with all their hearts. They talk to him and leave notes for him to deliver to Santa, which he dutifully does. They know that on December 24 old St. Nick will ring his bell and call Luca home, and we won't see him again for a whole year.

One day last week Buby came home from school and ran straight to his art bin. He whispered, "I'll show them. I will draw a picture of Luca so they can SEE." He proceeded to draw/color/cut and list 10 characteristics of elves. He was excited and happy to do it. I was folding laundry when he asked, "Mom, how do you spell mischievous?"

Note: Buby's best friend Grace has a similar elf named Louis, and Louis is mischievous. Dump-all-your-clothes-on-the-floor-while-you're-sleeping mischievous. It's hilarious the stories. Our elf is a good elf.

I suspected Buby might bump into skeptics at school this year, since Montessori runs in three-year cycles. Last year Buby was the oldest in a 3-4-5 primary class, and this year he's the youngest in a 6-7-8-9 elementary class. But Buby is standing firmly in Luca's corner. The next morning he tucked his artwork into his book bag and confidently showed all of his friends at school. I held my breath.

Later I asked him about his day. He mentioned that Faye didn't believe in elves. And that Andrew insisted elves wore green and not red. Then he stated {very matter of fact}, "Mom! We're going to have a school field trip. I will bring everybody here and show them Luca. They want to see him. Yeah!!"

Uh oh... I'm so curious as to how the teacher responded.

My little boy believes in magic, and so our house is a magical place this time of year. He truly believes in Santa, elves, reindeer, and superpowers. And why shouldn't he? His mind, heart and sentimentality are all part of what makes him so awesome. Truly he is an AWESOME kid, and I'm not just saying it because he's mine.

Buby is only in 1st grade {and has two younger sibs at home}, so My Sweets and I will be LIVID with anyone who spoils this holiday for him. If you spend any time with our family you know. It's not about convincing someone that Santa is a real-life modern day person--we don't talk about him like that. It's about allowing a child's imagination. I believe in believing. The ability to do so is a wonderful gift to cherish and protect. It's not up to us adults to crush it.