Elf On a Shelf

On December 1st we came home from Connor's basketball game and found this:





And a note:





*********Parent Eyes only***********
We had to go out to Connor's basketball game. We loaded everyone in the car, then ran back in and set everything up, ran back out and left for the game. When we got home we made sure to have the kids go in first to make it more magical.
They had no idea.
Even my son who recently discovered the "truth" about Santa couldn't figure out how we did it.
************************************

And so began our magical month with Olaf.




What a character that guy is.
We kept those little elf hats he put on the silhouettes up until the new year.
Got lots of compliments too.

One night he gave me the low down on his name.
Apparently his father, HaagenDaas Gunter Frankfurter III, was the elf for a little boy named Rueben who lived in Poland in the early 1900's. They were besties. Well, that little boy ended up making this awesome ice cream and named it after his childhood elf. Well, if you think poor Rudolph had a hard time with groupies after he saved the day with his shining nose on that foggy night, it's nothing compared to having a product named after you and people actually asking for it in their Christmas letters to Santa. It's true... mostly women.
I know the big guy seems Holly Jolly and all, but apparently he doesn't share the spotlight well. Especially when it starts replacing his very own handcrafted designs. Well, add that to the over 4 million elves worldwide who joined the "Haagen Dazs" fan club and, since 1962, the annual ice cream parade, and of course there's the national "Haagen Dazs Day" which just so happens to be the only other holiday besides Christmas Day that the elves get a day off from toy making and kid snooping. I can't remember, I think it's in June or something.
Santa was so furious that some of his light was shining on someone else that he put HaagenDaas III on Reindeer stall duty for 30 years.

Well, needless to say HaagenDaas senior has had a bit of a hard time. So to make things easier on his son, while still passing down the infamous and prestigious name, he has everyone call him Olaf.
He didn't explain where that one came from.
Gunter Klaus however was his great great grandfather on his mother's side who just so happened to have invented the candy cane.
I know right?!
A must-have for Christmas!

Well there you have it.

Thanks for all the fun magical memories Olaf!!

Til' next year!