Santa Photo and "The Elf" debate

Jeb is actually taking a nap that is longer than an hour. I probably just jinxed myself and will hear screaming over the monitor shortly.

Hubs and I were at the local mall last night and strolled past the Santa "throne" a few times. Last year, going to the big mall in Pbgh and getting a picture with the "good" Santa were high priority on our list. There was going to be no cheesy, fake-bearded Santa for my baby's first photo with the big man in the red suit. The local mall was not even in the running for a Santa photo. A 45 minute drive, $25, and 7 prints later, we had the first Santa picture. It is cute, our dazed looking little man atop the jolly, old elf's lap, looking straight at the camera in his cutest Christmas romper. It was a big deal. As we walked by at our local mall, there he was, the classic, red suited Santa (with real whiskers). We discussed it a little bit, and looked at the package prices, and decided that our little guy was going to meet Santa again this year. DH's quote was "now we just have to figure out what he's going to wear." We've decided that for at least the next 7 years (hopefully more, but the wonder and magic fade so quickly these days) this will be a memento we can look at and cherish for years to come. I'm glad. Before our son, DH was pretty anti-Santa, Easter Bunny etc. Somehow, being a pastor affected the way he thought of the charming characters and he was of the opinion that they tainted these religious holidays. I think I've been able to demonstrate with Jeb, how you can have Santa, and still teach about Jesus. I've been instilling in Josiah that the Nativity (baby Jesus, who he calls "eesus") is under the tree because it is the BEST GIFT EVER. I hope it will continue to be a tradition, placing a creche under the tree and teaching him and future kiddos why we do that. I admit, the Easter Bunny will be a bit more challenging, and we did not visit him last year.

Now, about this Elf...
I admit it, I want to be one of those over achiever moms who makes fantastic scenes for Elf on the Shelf. It looks like a lot of fun, and to be completely truthful, I have a love of most everything vintage in appearance that most of society would consider ugly (hello, fabulous 3 ft tall, blue, footed vase that was an anniversary gift to my grandparents and now lives with me). I think the idea is cute. I know Jeb won't get it this year, but perhaps next. I wonder though, will this interfere with the religious emphasis on Christmas as he gets older? True, as a pastor's kid, he will be churched to the max, but will he run out to find out where the elf is instead of running out to open the next door on the religious advent calendar, or sit to do devotions as a family as we've been doing this year. I'm on the fence about "the elf." Should the emphasis at this time of year be that Santa and his helpers are watching, or should it be that God is always watching? Also, this elf helper might interfere with the PA German tradition of the Belsnickel, who was sent to punish the naughty children by leaving switches and/or coal in their stockings. Some traditions even have him scatter candy on the floor and as children are scrambling, Belsnickel switches them for the things they haven't done yet, or the things they've done but not been caught for. My dad was terrified of Belsnickel, and there is a story told of him running from the Belsnickel, once upon a time. I want to preserve this dying character in my heritage and have been trying to convince my older brother to play Belsnickel for a while now. Maybe I should work on my younger brother, as he's not so fond of kids and might enjoy the role. In any event, I am undecided about the whole elf thing, although I crave being one of those moms who does the elaborate elf staging each night, and seeing the look on the kid's face when they discover what he or she has been up to.