For the last few of years, we've had the pleasure/pain of having Kaleb the Elf come to visit. He showed up again this morning. He is, in a word, mischievous. You may be having a similar infestation experience at your home so I thought I'd let you know what his visits look like. Arrival: Kaleb routinely comes a day or two after the kids have mailed their Christmas lists to Santa and he doesn't return home until Santa comes to retrieve him on Christmas day. He usually brings his sleeping bag with him and enough "magic dust" to get him through to the holiday.

Handling: We've heard that some elfs have to be left on a shelf and are off limits to being handled and played with. Being carried around during the day, participating in car chases and doll plays don't seem to bother our Kaleb in the least. The only parameters that seem to make a difference is whether or not he's been put in his sleeping bag at night, sprinkled with "magic dust," given crackers, and plenty of water. That seems to give Kaleb plenty of energy for his activities.

Activities: This is where things get messy. Every night Kaleb does something to celebrate the season. Usually this involves making a mess. We're talking re-arranging the furniture, get out the vacuum cleaner kind of mess. Unlike most household messes, however, the kids don't seem to mind cleaning up after him. Here are few choice antics:

Making a candy "stew"
Decorating the Christmas tree with the kids underwear
Rearranging and generally playing with assorted stuffed animals
Redecorating the Christmas items throughout the house
Playing with popcorn
Wrapping doors with Christmas paper
Turning toilet bowl water green
Playing with participants from the nativity scene
Going online and transferring money between our bank accounts (kidding).
Setting up race tracks and using Josh's cars for races
Building pyramids with anything he can find - pillows, chairs, glasses

We aren't entirely sure it was a great idea to ever invite this little guy into the house, but based on the laughs we have as a family we're glad he's here now. I kind of wonder how he'll get along with the puppy. My guess is that he needs to watch his back.

If you want to hear more stories about what elves do, click here!