Meet our Elf, Chippy Booty-Batter. He came to our house for the first time last Christmas. He was named Chippy after the elf in the tv show “An Elf’s Story”. We aren’t very original because we literally took the name straight out of the show. Of course, we had to silly it up a bit and add the last name of Booty-batter (Miller’s idea).
The kids love to find Chippy every morning. We put him in the tree, on top of the refrigerator, in the front hall, and any where else we could find to put him. Some days Chippy didn’t move at all, but that was because Tom and I forgot. Unlike some elves, our elf doesn’t cause any mischief…that would require too much work on our part.
Some people find it surprising that we have an elf because we don’t do Santa. Years ago I told the kids that Santa wasn’t real. I explained to them that long ago there was a real St.Nick that gave gifts to children but the one in the red suit was just pretend. I couldn’t lie to them, and I didn’t want Santa to get all the glory. I wanted to keep it about Jesus’ birthday. Faith and Wilson still want to believe in Santa and wish that they didn’t know the truth. I think Wilson is a bit mad a me for telling him. He was kind of “Bah-humbug” and cynical this Christmas, even about Chippy. In hindsight, I may have stolen some of the fun of Christmas by not doing Santa. We have the tooth fairy in our house, how is that any different? So, now we have an Elf that I use to try to make up for the lack of a magical Santa. And yes, I lie about Chippy being real. I have also begun to lie about Santa being real. Miller asked me the other day if Santa was real. He said, “Santa is real, right Mom? He is real, right?” I answered with a vague, “Some people think he is real and others don’t.” Miller insisted, “But he IS real, right mom?” He said it so sweetly and with such innocent certainty that I agreed. I have decided that I really can’t win either way. So I guess I will do it both ways and see how it turns out – an social experiment of sorts.
Either way, Christmas is over and Chippy is back in the North Pole until next year. So long, Chippy! Tell Santa that we said, “Hello!”