You know what I love about the season o’ holidays (Halloween through Easter)? The joy of watching children, dressed in their holiday finest, experience the excitement of the season.
Not really.
No, no. Of course I like the joy and the children and the et cetera. I do. I’m not heartless. Schmoopiness challenged, maybe, but not heartless.
One of my other favorite things about holiday season, though, is deceiving my children into good behavior.
You know the Elf on the Shelf? Ours is Bingle Jingle Snevets, and the kids adore him. I like him too, even if he’s a bit of a pain in the behind. I’ve written about this before, but in short, this is our house at midnight, every night between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve:
Me – Did you move the elf?
Mark – No. Forgot.
Me – {Silence, loaded with expectation.}
Mark, sighing heavily – I’ll go do it now.
H, the five year old, is actually on the bubble of non-belief with Bingle. I’m sure Santa and the Easter Bunny are not far behind. And honestly, I find the Easter Bunny absurd, so I can’t blame H for questioning the concept. I’d like to believe Santa is real, but there’s no love lost between me and the bunny.
As I was saying, H is wavering on this magic. I’ve gently threatened him – yes, it can be done gently – within in an inch of Santa leaving him a lump of coal if he puts even the tiniest doubt in the mind of his brother.
“You will keep the magic alive,” I hiss. “Alive, do you understand me?”
Anyway.
Since that elf is just so much dang fun, I decided to extend the magic. Even though Bingle’s effect on behavior is negligible, at best, he does periodically help me diffuse highly charged toddler situations. Why not invite some other magical characters into our home?
Enter, Hazel.
Hazel, as in Witch. Get it?
Her yarn hair appears to be thinning and her nose is missing, but she’s still got the magic going on. My mother-in-law made her and we’ve had her for years, but last year when H was still very into holiday magic, Hazel took on her new role. As far as the kids know, Hazel magically arrives into my box of fall decorations* and asks me to put her on that windowsill. I’m the only one in the house who can hear her. Obviously.
Every night, Hazel hops on her tiny (and, apparently, invisible) broom and heads to… the North Pole. To see Bingle. She reports on the behavior in our house so he can get a jump on the Christmas Naughty & Nice list. The one big diference between Hazel and Bingle is this: she lands in the same spot every time she returns. It’s her favorite spot and she gets all twitchy if she can’t sit there.
And now I’m extending a Very Holiday Spirited Threat to everyone who considers telling my children that Hazel should land in new places every day: Keep your mouths shut. You hear me? Hazel is a one-spot girl.
So now I need a Valentine’s Day friend and Easter-themed character to add to our entourage. Just think, our little magical friends will give me months of barely modified behavior.
*By the way, I do a decent job of Christmas decorations. I like getting all festive. But Halloween really isn’t my thing. This, plus a smattering of pumpkins on the hearth and front porch, is the extent of my fall/Halloween decorations. Ta-Da. Let the magic begin.
Holiday Spirit in a Box
I wonder…
:: How do you feel about the lies, however white, that we tell our kids about the holidays?
Lapsed homemaker. Looking to hire a full-time housekeeper who will work for the sheer joy of a job well done and free coffee. Interested parties, DM please. 
I’m all for the lies. I’ve done it for years and plan on continuing the tradition with my son (even though his sisters are older). If it works stick with it.
Also… not a fan of the bunny. Never have been.
i lie, but i don’t like doing it. my children believe in the easter bunny, the tooth fairy, and Santa Claus… even the 9 year old. :0/ i think this is his last year of magic, though.
the witch is cute. and makes me laugh.
I can’t believe your 5 yo is starting to question. Little CEO has just a little bit, but she’s almost 6.5 and it’s only been recently. Boy Wonder? So trusting. Believes everything and he’s coming up on 9. This may be our last year, though. I am going to milk it all the way. I love the magic of it all and how honest and true their belief is. It makes me feel like the world is okay.
I love the lies and think you are brilliant for perpetuating it further!
But I’m with you on the Bunny. Absolute nonsense.
OH I LOVE this idea!! Might have to find a Hazel of our very own. Our Elf on The Shelfs name is Issac. So very festive isn’t it?? Boys named him that, and I’m not sure why!!
No advice on the Valentines Day or Easter guys. Those are tough!
All I can say is keep the magic going as long as you can…
Because you can never get it back.
My kids started asking hard, practical questions when they were still very young so I lied.
I felt weird about it, but THEY WERE SO LITTLE! I wasn’t ready to let the illusions go whether or not they were.
Then they stopped asking. So I figured
A. I had lied SO well that they believed much longer than they should have(at which point I questioned whether or not I should tell them to save embarrassment)
OR
B. They were faking it because they wanted to preserve the magic a bit longer themselves.
Either way, my 12 and 14 year old don’t believe in Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy etc. anymore.
They may have been the older two kids on the planet to finally give up the fantasy. But yeah. They know the truth now. Obviously.
And although Christmas is still beautiful (and I know. It’s not supposed to be about Santa), it’s just not the same once the kids know you’re the one putting all the gifts under the tree.
It’s more like a business transaction, if that makes sense.
My children are grateful and excited and appreciative.
But there is no magic.
Still. There’s love.
So there’s that.
Great idea for carrying the deception throughout the year. And to think I was just using the “Santa is watching” line.
For as long as I can warp my child’s mind…I will damn it.
Kidding.
He’s only 3 and believes that Santa is evil…well until Santa brings him presents…then he’s cool again.
As for Halloween, he almost karate chopped a talking skeleton in a store. No lie.
Does this have anything to do with your post? No. But I am just proud of my little karate kid.
As the mom who told her son that the Easter Bunny takes away all the pacifiers and leaves an Easter basket in their place, I’m clearly in favor of the white lies, especially the ones that help out my particular situation. So I’m obviously loving Hazel (and her one spot)!
I’m such a good mom I haven’t even put our Halloween decs out yet! And I love the name Bingle – so creative.
Hey – can I answer your question about lies around the holidays as an Ask Literal Mom day? It might be a good one for the holidays. LMK.
oh my gosh, Hazel is adorable. I’m pretty sure I’d end up forgetting to move her as many times as I forget to move Chink, or elf.
They’re not lies..they’re magic.
And my kids loved them.
We were just talking about that last week, with the 16 and 14 yr old: they remember loving the magic.