A Christmas Elf. Or Clown (It Doesn't Matter)

Today I made good on a Christmas Promise I made to Jos a few weeks ago. And if we have learned anything from repeated screenings of Merry Christmas Drake and Josh, it is that a Christmas Promise can't be broken. So, this promise I made. Let me long-windedly set the stage for you:

A few weeks ago we are driving to gymnastics, me and Jos. Things are good. And then suddenly--without warning--Josie is tearfully trudging us both down memory lane, remembering a particular penguin ornament ($1 at the grocery) that she dearly loved two years ago. (She dearly loved it so much that even though I had repeatedly instructed her to not touch that ornament, one day she took it with her to the potty and and promptly dropped it onto the tile floor. Clearly she has never recovered from this shattering emotional moment.) Hoping to calm her down I used the "I know just how you feel" technique and told her about this sweet Christmas Elf ornament we had as a kid. Sadly for the ornament, many parts of his colorful little body were made up of Lifesavers. I must have been around 6 one Christmas (certainly old enough to know better) when I decided the best thing to do would be to eat that little elf's arms and legs. I can't really remember but I'm sure it was delicious--being several years old and all. And when I was done eating all the Lifesavers, I realized that I had ruined the ornament. Oh sob! Oh cry!

So I bet you all know what happened when I finished this story for Jos. She became completely hysterical. Not only was she sad about the ornament she had destroyed, she was sad about my ornament too. Dang, I'm good. So here is where the Christmas Promise comes in: I told her that when she was off track we would make new Elf ornaments. (I did NOT tell her that the grocery store quit selling those penguin ornaments.)

So today, after many false starts and trips to the grocery to find the Lifesavers, voila! Our Elf ornaments. (If you think these elves look a lot like clowns, you are not alone. But it's hard to actualize a craft that you only have a 6 year old's memory of.) I made a prototype for Tommy to eat:

Looking like the elf (Shoot! I meant to put pants on that kid!)

Stringing up the wooden bead heads and the Lifesaver arms and legs. For obvious reasons, Tommy was given the special needs project, which was: stringing wooden beads onto yarn while screaming I CAN'T DO IT!! (even though obviously he can). Sometimes 3 year olds can be really immature.

Calvin and Jon working reverently and quietly.

An elf in progress. I think I am putting up too many pictures. Am I putting up too many pictures? Because it feels like too much.

My elf on the left and Josie's on the right. She did her own face. I like her face better than mine. But then I also like Josie's face better than my own face, so I guess this shouldn't be surprising.

Jon's elf. Kirsten, please do not make any sniggering remarks about the nose Jon drew. That's just the way he draws them, and you know it.

Calvin's elf. Calvin went a little heavy on the wooden beads. But I told him it's not wrong, it's just very very different.

After we made the elf ornaments we all had hot dogs for lunch. It was a party!