The elf on the shelf seems to be a big thing right now, but I hadn’t been interested till now. As a Catholic school teacher, I hesitate to participate in such secular activities. Plus the elf is supposed to report to Santa if children are bad. I don’t like it. There’s no such thing as a bad kid!

My lessons teach that God made us out of God’s love and compassion. God make us all Good!

That said, do we make wrong choices? Oh, yeah!

We talk about how we all make wrong choices sometimes, and that it can be hard work to make good choices.

So (until this year) I was immune to Elves on Shelves. Then I made a trip to the Moline Public Library. There, of all things, was a book called The Advent Elf! Well, this Catholic teacher stopped and read it right then.  A little Advent elf-in-training comes out of the Advent wreath to watch over 6-year-old Paul. The elf’s task is to keep Paul out of trouble till Christmas, and their adventures are delightful.

The children love the book, and we now have our own elf on a shelf. Her name is Grace, and she is our Advent Elf. She is always on the move. The kids love to look for her in the morning.

Grace would never report “bad” kids. In fact, as her name suggests, she helps them discover wonderful ways to show their love, offer kindnesses and spread Christmas cheer. 🙂