As a little girl, one of the magical things I loved about Christmas was Santa Claus. I loved the songs about him, and the movies, like “Miracle on 34th Street.” Every year, I willed myself to stay up until he came so I could catch a glimpse of him. Of course, I never did see Santa, but I cherished the note he left telling us how much he liked our cookies and that the reindeers appreciated the carrots we left out. Now I have my own little girls to share the magic of the holiday season including, first and foremost, the miracle of Jesus, the ending of this year and the beginning of a new one, and all the twinkling lights keeping the darkness at bay. However, I don’t want them to get wrapped up (pun intended) in the materialism that has now become inherent for this time of year. So, where does that leave Santa?

According to my 3-year-old, Santa Claus is her friend. I don’t know how they met, but, like Mickey Mouse, you just can’t avoid these childhood cultural archetypes. I have considered talking about Santa as St. Nicholas, but as the patron saint of sailors, brewers, archers, repentant thieves, children, merchants, and let’s not forget pawnbrokers, I feel that’s too much information for a toddler. I considered avoiding Santa for one more year, but here recently as I was losing patience with my daughter who refused to put on her hat and coat I blurted out, “Well Santa won’t be bringing you any presents this year!” It just came out of nowhere, said without thinking. Which made me realize perhaps this Santa fellow could also be my friend in terms of a behavioral tool.

Hello, Elf on the Shelf! I did not grow up with an Elf on the Shelf, but I have seen it used on various Mom blogs I follow. The basic concept is that there’s this “Scout Elf” sent from Santa’s workshop to report back on kids to help Santa with his nice or naughty list. From what I can gather, the Elf can get into a bit of mischief itself, like making various messes, etc. I’m thinking our Elf will just hang out because I don’t need to be doing more cleaning or set an example that bad behavior is part of festive fun. My hope is that I can use the Elf to remind my daughter that her friend Santa does not like it when she does not listen and do as she’s asked. Her friend Santa wants her to be a good girl and listen to Mommy and Daddy, and that HIS friend Mr. Elf is letting him know how she’s doing.

Do I want to promote this “big brother” type of surveillance? No. But do I want my daughter to eat her dinner and clean up after herself? Yes! And, it just so happens we were gifted an Elf on the Shelf last Christmas, so it’s already spying on us from its box. I also think this will be a way, along with an Advent Calendar, to get my girls excited about Christmas in all of its forms, both spiritual and secular. Plus, my 3-year-old is a big fan of make-believe, and this will just add to her ongoing narrative of dinosaurs, unicorns, gnomes, and fairies.

True, the Elf on the Shelf has valid criticisms, like it’s a made-up tradition that promotes consumerism, the aforementioned eerie surveillance vibe, in addition to promoting the “Santa Lie” taking away from the true meaning of the holiday. I admit I agree with all of those points. But, as the parent of a young child who loves all things magical and is starting to understand the concept of holidays, I think, if used appropriately, I’ll have another tool in my disciplinary kit because she really just needs to sit her “butt on the chair” and eat her dinner. The elf is watching.