New Christmas eve Traditions

For the record this is my third attempt at posting this!!!! I was almost finished and it has restarted twice b/c I am using Than's laptop,and it is super sensitive on the mouse pad. Seriously if I breathe to hard on it it changes whatever!!!!

Ok so now back to the sweet Christmas eve. We had several new traditons we whated to start this year with Leighton. One I borrowed from our good friends the Masons who came to our house on Christmas eve! Anyway the "Elf on the shelf" is something that was mass marketed through hallmark stores this Christmas, her family has participated in this traditon for over thirty years. Since her old brother was born pretty much. Anyway I loved the idea from her before I ever saw the book with doll in hallmark, and Than and I had deided to use it. The book is great as it explains the rules and things, but the doll is more of a pixie style elf, we wanted a fat one like my friend Heathers. It is a homemade soft sculpture style doll, the pattern is really old and lost. After months of searching online, I decided to wing it! I am not a great seamstress, not one at all. A straightline stitch or silly costuming is what I can swing but that is it. This would be the hardest/biggest project yet! My first attempt at making a pattern wasn't quite right, so I returned to my friends to study and measure for around 2 hours. The hardest part is that it is 3-d and stuffed and then handstitched together, all from no pattern to guide me. After regrouping and remeasuring...oh and lots of notes, I was ready.

In just under a week these are my finished products, the second (only took 2 days that all i had to finish by xmas) one was a gift for my sister to start the tradition with her daughter. The best thing is that they are identical to the original from thirty years ago, w/o even having the original pattern. I am so proud of myself, I had my doubts.

 

Our elf's name is Pepper Minstix he arrived at our door on Christmas eve, sitting in a chair to watch Leighton from our mantle for Santa. He also brought some special gifts direct from Santa to be opened that night special for a baby's first Christmas. He had a letter for Leighton introducing himself and also brought a book explaining this long tradition, he had a plate for cookies and a cup for milk or beer ;) (see below) The coolest thing was our family matching pjs for xmas. We didn't get this on film, we did get it on video, could snap pics and video at same time ;)

 

We decorated gingerbread men and made baked goods, it was great and we did everything we wanted that day, it was a good time! Great xmas eve! About the Dos xx I think Santa enjoys a good beer, not to mention we don't keep milk in our house. I just goes bad, we don't drink it, I am allergic, So beer was just the better option! Maybe next year we will use soy milk since that is what Leighton will be drinking!