On Tuesday I took Harper to run errands with me. I had ordered 2 books from Barnes and Noble, so we went in to pick them up. Right at the front of the store is a HUGE display of Elf on the Shelf with a video playing and all. She had already told me about the book, they had read it at school the previous week. The display has no "just books". All they have is a $30 gift set with the book and an elf. The story, in a quick skim, tells about an elf that watches over kids and reports back to Santa. Every day the elf moves location around the house and the kids have to find it. So it's also a game. Harper starts asking for it right away. I tell her let's go look at other books and I'll think about it. We had fun looking at other books. I found a Christmas book that I had as a child that is about a bear and is scratch and sniff. It was fun to read it to her.
So it's now time to leave and I just couldn't spend the $30 on the Elf on the Shelf with out talking to Jer. This is when the 1st happens. She starts to cry. It is not a fit, she is not begging. It really breaks my heart. She is just standing beside me at the check out with big tears rolling down her face. It took all I had to walk out of the store with out the book set.
Usually my kids are easily told "Not today" and we can leave a store with out much fuss. This, like I said was very different. I almost would have rather her whined, screamed and complained so I would have felt righteous in my "no".
The end of the story: As I write Jeremy is on his way with Harper on a date to get Elf on the Shelf. She doesn't know. I wish I could be there to see how excited she is going to be when they pull up at Barnes and Noble and she realizes what is happening. So precious. I love them both.
