merry

this morning at my house.

so every year i kinda forget how fun the holiday season is. it always takes getting the decorations out of the attic...and introducing that creepy stuffed elf back on the scene in order for me to start to feel festive. i always feel nostalgic when i light my great grandmother's ceramic tree for the first time and the elf is just like icing on the cake. we read the story at home on sunday and on monday i pulled the infamous book and box out of my storage closet at school and set it out by my rocking chair. when the kids lined up in the hallway, i knew i better hold onto my chalk cause they were about to lose their little minds. they all entered the classroom as if fired out of a cannon and it didn't take long for them to spy our new friend. all of them had similar reactions...found somewhere between screaming and crapping their pants. i've said before that a classroom elf should come with a complimentary ritalin salt lick to attach to the door. their excitement over this elf is always palpable, like if you stuck your tongue out you would taste christmas in the air. it's no wonder why the two women who created the elf are millionaires...it truly is magic. a stuffed elf fueled by a child's imagination and christmas? only something magical can come from that. anyways, i had two students absent that day, so i knew we would be rereading the story and explaining his venture on tuesday as well. the kids voted on "peter" as his name, coming second to "mr. hinkles." (was hoping for mr. hinkles.)

when tuesday arrived, the two students who were out the day before sauntered into the classroom unexpectedly. one child has been absent for over a quarter of the year so far and came in with no bookbag on his back, hair all over his head, and no coat. he smiled at me sleepily and then his eyeballs caught sight of the elf hanging from the mini blinds like an acrobat. he froze. then slowly looked at me, looked at the elf, looked back at me...and this is one of those moments i wish i had a video camera in my room. his facial expression was AWESOME. he really didn't have to say anything...his face said it all. the rest of the kids were quick to fill him in on what he missed the day before, just as the other child who was absent monday walked right behind him. this particular child is a behavior problem most days and doesn't have a very stellar home life. he smiled at me and said, "what's he doing here?" pointing at peter. i said, "he joined us yesterday and will be reporting to the north pole to santa each night about what he sees in the classroom." he looked at me skeptically and smiled again. while he unpacked his things for the day he was staring at the elf trying to make sense of it...wondering if this elf was legit. actually all of the children's reactions were amazing, so much so that i asked them to raise their hands to tell me who has an elf on the shelf at home. not one child raised their hand. (not one.) so this concept was new to them....and made it even more amazing for me.

on wednesday, i coincidentally did a science lesson in the afternoon about "living and non-living things." we made a list of living and non-living things on the board. my students did a great job of listing both, then my skeptical buddy from the day before raised his hand and said, (pointing to peter) "well what is he?" i stared at him. he stared back and said, "is our elf living or non-living?! you said he comes to life at night, but during the day he doesn't move...so which row would we put peter in?!?" (ohhhh helllll...) in kindergarten, you have to think quick on your toes, cause these kids ask no less than 2389 questions. per day. i replied, "you have an interesting point...and this is a tricky one!" the kids started to chatter. i said, "turn and talk to the people at your table and discuss whether or not you think peter is living or non-living." this brought rise to an intense turn table talk that would put congress to shame. kids were arguing their points to one another such as, "well at NIGHT he needs food and water to survive and fly back to the north pole...and during the DAY he needs a place to live...so he's living." one child pointed and said, "but look at him now! he's not MOVING! HE'S NOT ALIVE!" and so we decided to list our elf right at the bottom of the list between living and non-living things. most were satisfied...my little buddy in the back of the class smirked at me.

meanwhile back at the home front our elf "snowflake" entered the scene on sunday. my first and second born are so excited about this thing that it makes me wonder why some parents boycott it! you don't have to do much with the elf...except remember to move it (which we forgot three out of the four nights and had to run down in the morning to do so). it really doesn't take much time, energy, or effort...and their reactions are worth it. the man who lives in my house is rivaling clark griswold with his light display in the front. it looks like old saint nick puked christmas all over the place. last year, there was an unspoken contest between him and the guy across the street. this year, the neighbor hasn't done anything yet. (butch thinks he won.) i went outside one night when he was working on the lights and i was about to bitch about how tacky it looked...just as a women stopped her car on the street, rolled down her window and yelled, "i love your lights! thank you for doing this! it's beautiful!" butch yelled back "thanks and merry christmas!" just as i shut my mouth and went back inside. i think we can learn a lot about the holiday season from children and their excitement about it. as my kids danced around the living room and carrie accidentally smashed butch's balls last night while frosty sang the soundtrack...i was thankful for my own children and my students at school at christmastime. as my husband sneezed violently and spilled boilo in his crotch, prompting him to look like he peed his pants...i sipped my wine and realized the holiday spirit is in full swing. so shimmy out of that grinch costume y'all and find your inner child. as an adult, you may not want to scream or crap your pants over christmas...but you have to admit this time of year is nothing short of magical. may your days be merry and bright!