Elf on the Shelf vs Trolls…Final Christmas Countdown, Part 4!

Zip lining Elf at my grandkids’

The Yule Lad trolls, an old-fashioned bit of Icelandic whimsy, are probably a bit too scary for most kiddos. Luckily there’s a relatively new tradition that seems to be giving Santa Claus a run for his money: the Elf on the Shelf!

Of course our grandkids are all over this entertaining holiday johnny-come-lately. 

But at a holiday party this week, chatting with some moms, I learned just how much the Elf on the Shelf, or let’s call it, the EOTS, is a crucial Christmas ritual! 

You’d think parents have enough stress about Santa. But the EOTS ritual represents a whole new level of pressure—which lasts for weeks!

Now, we all know that starting right after Thanksgiving, the grownups in the household are responsible for either hiding the Elf every night, or involving the Elf in various activities. 

Kids can then begin each day with a fun search for the Elf, or coming upon it in an entertaining location. But during all these weeks prior to Christmas, grownups have to put the Elf in a NEW spot each night! 

Playing poker with his “homeys”

I also learned Mom/Dad can’t repeat the hiding spot or activity. So forgetting to move the elf is fatal. 

I heard about two parents who forgot to shift their EOTS until the last minute. Dad had to quickly distract the kids and get them into another room so Mom could move the Elf.

One mom shared about an extremely indignant 4 year old who found his Elf in the same place as the day before. 

The little guy was so cross about it he moved the Elf himself. Which leads to another fatal error: If you touch the Elf Santa won’t come!

The creative pressure, I hear, is immense. Days on end of having to come up with new and different and most of all, fun spots for the Elf! Also, even after kids get older, they apparently still require Mom/Dad to carry on the ritual. 

If you’ve been checking out my series on the Yule Lads, the Lads’ tradition seems pretty straightforward. And dare I say, simpler. Today, there’s only 3 more Lads on the way, with 3 more nights of troll mayhem and pranks.

Although being trolls, all the Lads have big noses, December 22 brings the Lad with the biggest: “Doorway Sniffer.” Since he loves to smell baked goods, he uses that big schnozz to stand in doorways, sniffing out any cakes and Icelandic lacebread he can abscond with. 

On December 23, another hungry troll, “Meat Hook,” arrives with a pole—and a hook at the end. He hovers near the kitchen, and when the cook isn’t looking, he’ll hook any meat from the pan.

The last night of the Lads is December 24. “Candle-Beggar” is perhaps the biggest killjoy of them all. On the most important night of the season, Christmas Eve, the night of light and celebration, he will steal any candle he finds. 

It seems to be by Christmas, the Lads have pretty well cleaned out all the food in Icelandic households! I guess the Elf is looking pretty good in comparison, despite being high-maintenance.

Speaking of Elves and Trolls, our resident Lord of the Rings fanboy, my husband John, and I just had a spirited discussion about both Elves and Trolls—as well as Dwarves, and Hobbits. Santa is reputed to be an Elf…or is he a Fairy? 

If you come down on the Fairy side, you might like Morgan Carey and The Mystery of the Christmas Fairies…It’s on sale this week, details in my post from last week, Christmas Countdown Part 2!

Still on sale though Christmas!

RSV Natural Prevention for the Holidays

Elf on the Shelf playing poker with her pals

Here in the peaceful Foothills, our usual countdown to Christmas is great fun—I love spending it listening to holiday carols and baking cookies. In fact, I was planning to write a holiday post for today.

But this year, my countdown days are all about fighting germs! I’m helping to take care of a little family very dear to me—and everyone in the house is down with RSV/flu or whatever this awful respiratory illness is. And let me tell you, I’m awash in bugs!

There’s no escaping them: being close contact with small kids, I’ve been coughed on, sneezed on, and handled used tissues—everything that comes with the territory.

Still, one week in to being exposed to one very sick adult and three very sick kids, I haven’t caught this illness. 

Here’s my secret to virus-fighting:

A terrific brand of Vitamin C!

*Twice a day, I’ve been taking micro doses of Vitamin C—about 10 mg or so—along with 1,000 mg of Vitamin D. 

The Vitamin C is a powder made from acerola cherry fruit extract. It’s gentler on the system than the manufactured C made from ascorbic acid, which more commonly available. You mix a wee spoonful of it in 1/2 cup water. 

*Any hint of a scratchy throat, I immediately gargle with salted hot water. Kind of messy, but it gets the job done.

*I’m also a fan of a turmeric hot toddy: I make a turmeric tea with a teaspoon of the spice in a 1/2 cup of hot water, mixed with a generous spoonful of honey. This mixture will also knock down an incipient illness.

It tastes revolting, but I chug it down, then follow with an extra bit of honey to get rid of the bitterness.

My daughter swears by something a bit fancier: this toddy has a schosh of whiskey in it plus lemon juice, as well as the turmeric and honey. She adds this mixture to a mug of herb tea.

*All week, I’ve been having my usual generous bowl of plain Greek yogurt for lunch (lots probiotics for the immune system)—and please don’t judge me, but I always add a few big spoonfuls of organic maple syrup to sweeten it. I like to tell myself maple syrup is better than sugar, but I don’t always believe it!

*For dinner, I’ve been eating a good-sized serving of cooked broccoli all week for antioxidants. 

Elf on the Shelf on her zip line!

*As we all know, stress is huge when it comes to catching bugs! So when I feel any stress coming on, I start doing some nice deep breaths to counteract it. I suppose this sounds dorky, but I think cheerful thoughts too.

Happily, my sick little family is not too ill for their favorite holiday traditions…So a great little pick-me-up for me: seeing the antics of the Elf on the Shelf every morning!

*One more thing: I’m terribly allergic to hand sanitizer…so I have no choice but to compulsively wash my hands! I’m a big hand-washer anyway, but I’ve really stepped it up. Nothing fancy, just lather up with an all-natural bar soap from the Co-op.

I hope all this helps you fight all the bugs floating around. And here’s wishing you illness-free winter holidays!