For many parents, the period leading up to Christmas is a time for blackmailing : “Be careful, Santa sees everything: you have to brush your teeth, put your toys away… Otherwise, you’ll get less presents.”
My family even went so far as to put a leek, one year, in the shoe of my uncle who was a bit crazy at the foot of the tree. This anecdote still persists and the new generations are (more or less) on the fence, afraid of receiving an old vegetable instead of a Frozen costume!
In South Africa, we discovered a very nice tradition which consists in inviting a little Elf to live at home the weeks before Christmas. The little man, sent by Santa Claus, is there to keep the Christmas spirit alive in the house. At the same time, he is a daily reminder that Santa Claus has eyes everywhere. Legend has it that he reports to Santa Claus every night on the behavior of each person so that Santa can adjust his gift production.
The concept: you adopt a little elf and you move it every night to make the magic happen. We bought ours for a few euros.
Some families even make their own elf :
At home, this little elf was named Nicolas by my daughter. He goes around at night to check that everyone deserves their presents. It’s great because every morning the children have fun looking for him. And at the same time, it keeps a “healthy pressure” on how to behave to be well spoiled at Christmas.
If, like us, you are not very handy, here are some elves to order:
