Latest News From The Elves...

     Well here we are, only 117 days (give or take) until Christmas.  Just a little less than a third of the year to go.  To be completely honest, I have not given it more than an inkling of a thought.  We're having a heatwave right now, and Labor Day weekend is upon us.  The end of Summer.  <Sigh> Then, I was looking around online and came across news for some Elves on The Shelf.  Or would it be Elves on the Shelves? Any ol' hoo... Seems some will soon be winklin' their way into helping some kiddies celebrate their birthdays.  As if... and that reminded me... of our elf, Natale.  I had received another post card from her back a ways... and then I remembered what the impetus was for her trip.  Oh, I am sorry, I guess a little backstory is needed.

     Last year, as you no doubt know, Elf On The Shelf  became quite the phenomena. The book, the movie, and of course the elves.  Alas, we had a lovely Christmas sans elf, but my girls let it be known they would like to invite one to come and visit with us for the next holiday season.  My thought: to invade our privacy, not to mention God knows what else.  I pointed out that Santa had managed quite well up to that point without the need of a spy and they were to keep in mind, that Daddy and I were well aware when they are naughty or nice, and will ALWAYS supersede Santa's plans.  Not to mention, cleaning up after 2 kids and the daily tidying was enough for me during the holiday season no less.  Come on!  You've seen what those randy imps get into.  Nevertheless, worn down from their insistence over Christmas Break, I sent a letter to the North Pole requesting an audience with one of those elves.
     Right after the first of the year, I received a sweet note from an elf, Natale.  Italian heritage, and named in honor of Natale.  She was enjoying some much needed rest after the extraordinarily busy holiday season.  She diplomatically stated that with the implementation, growth, and demand of the Elf on The Shelf program, everyone was stretched a little too thin.  She wrote she was too tired to write more.  She closed with warm regards and a promise to be in touch again soon.  All of this was a jumble of scribbly Italian-English, I think.  It took me a whole afternoon to decipher and translate with the help of Italian for Dummies.
     Then, late January, I received the following post card from Natale:

On it, she wrote a link: Elf To Come to Birthdays!  What followed was a rant.  A whopper that contained a lot of slang, that I could not find any translation for, but I got the gist.  She went on about how quite a few of the elves are already feeling overworked, exploited and under appreciated.  NOW BIRTHDAYS!???  Was she supposed to wear that outfit?!  She was Italian after all, she has taste!  She hoped I understood, but she'd had enough.  She then got an idea; to take a trip around the world, and to actually visit and spend some time in all the places she had seen but only been in for a jiffy.  After all, traveling Christmas Eve, (if chosen for The Grand Ride) does not allow for a whole lot of diddle daddle or leisurely time, as you might imagine. So, she left the North Pole, and headed south.

     I must say, Natale has been very good at keeping in touch.  Hope you understand due to the personal nature in some of the post cards, I will only share what I feel is appropriate.

We received this Seattle post card in late March.  She stated she'd enjoyed traveling throughout Canada's vast land.  Had a great time in Montreal apparently.

So far, while in Washington she'd seen quite a bit as well.  Really enjoyed the grunge scene?...
Got me wondering, how old is Natale? Elf years the same as ours?  Is it all a state of mind?  Would it be rude to ask?


Got this post card from her in May, and evidentally she was already loving California. 

She didn't write much, but said there were several areas where she really felt at home.  She added she'd had a blast in Tijuana.  Not sure she knew she was in Mexico.

Although I was unsure what Natale's agenda or plan was for her world trip, I had to commend her on her taste in post cards.

Have to admit, I am a little bit jealous when I think about it; the attitude and the chuzpah Natale shows in her choices of places to visit, and all the fun she seems to be having.

Obviously, she toured around the states for awhile.  We received the Florida and New York post cards on the same day.  They were even postmarked the same date.  However, the New York had been sent from Savannah GA, and the Florida one sent from Bar Harbor ME!?  Those elves!  They sure do get around!

We received this London post card from Natale in late June.  Seemed excited that she'd "FLOWN THE POND!!!"  I can only assume she meant the Atlantic.

 Believe she's been dabbling in the local cultures along the way, because she wrote she "loved Jamaica mon" and signed off havin' a jolly ol' time-gotta grab o'pint Cheerio!"

 Mid July, received this post card from Paris.

All that was on it was one sentence in French.

"Il n'y a qu'un bonheur dans la vie, c'est d'aimer et d'etre aime'."

 Ahhh.  I could only surmise Natale was in love.

The last card we received from Natale was around the end of July.  Wrote she was going to visit her "Bella Italia" for awhile, and was not certain of her plans beyond.  She hoped we enjoyed the card, which she said was a photo taken by her photographer friend, Pamela.  If you would like to see more of Pamela's beautiful photos, just click on her name to take you to her site.

     So, I am not sure if there will be an elf joining us this holiday season or not.  I have enjoyed receiving the cards from Natale throughout her travels, and only wish for her much happiness.  As to whether another elf will be joining us; it just doesn't feel right to me.   I know my girls are hoping that Natale's journey will put her in the holiday spirit, and that we'll be blessed with her company right after Thanksgiving.  To that I just told them, "Que sera, sera."  Which they followed promply with the customary rolling of the eyes and sighs.

Now there's the Christmas spirit.