Sparky returns with a new friend.....

Sparky has been our family elf since Dylan was a babe. I actually knew I would have a family elf long before The Elf on the Shelf idea even started, and before Mr. D was born. When I was working at Primary Children's my first Christmas as a RN, a family told me how they have a family elf that helps Santa since the dad also works some Holidays as a pilot.  I loved this idea and knew I would adapt this tradition in my home. Needless to say, Sparky had been our elf for all these years.  This year I was scheduled to work around the Christmas Holiday at the hospital and so Mike thought it would be a great idea to have two elves helping Santa. Sparky would bring the gifts on Christmas Eve (the 24th) and our new elf would help to deliver gifts on the 23rd, since we would be celebrating Christmas Eve and Christmas Day early since mom was going to be at the hospital. The boys thought this was fabulous since they would be getting, "two Christmas's."  It actually worked out really well and their gifts were just divided out in two days. We let them choose the name of Sparky's helper elf and they chose the name Bernie. So we had a new elf join our family this year and help out Santa and Sparky. The funny thing is that one night when Bernie was up to his elf tricks he had a fall and the boys found him laying on the ground in the living room with his head off. We glued his head back on multiple times and the boys called him, "Bernie with the head injury." It has become a family joke.

 Here is Sparky and Bernie enjoying some chips and salsa.

Dylan loved the elf idea this year. I think it kept him in the game(if you know what I mean).