"He wouldn't have left without his sack!"

As many of you know, my boys have an elf that comes to visit us once a year, about this time, and he returns to the North Pole on Christmas Eve via Santa's sleigh, ushering in the end of his annual trip to central Alabama. Fairbanks is his name and he was originally summoned by Tyler, my oldest and smartest child who at the tender age of 11 is more convinced than EVER before of the magic and power behind Santa, reindeer, and magical elves. But that's another blog all together (and eventually a lot of money in therapy for him; put it on my tab, son). Fairbanks arrived last week and the boys were beside themselves. Oh, how they had missed Fairbanks. He arrived with his felt green sack which he himself can fit into along with his bottle of magic snowflakes that the boys sprinkle on him to make him come alive at night. (For further info on elves visit www.elf-magic.com or else I may never get to the point of this story.)

Fairbanks, naturally, enjoyed himself immensely as we (and by "we" I mean the boys) slept soundly for the first several days of his escapades. Somehow this past Saturday amongst a host of friends and madness surrounding the 2008 Iron Bowl (ROLL TIDE!) Fairbanks got lost. He was last seen in our basement den on the air hockey table by Tyler and on the couch by Evan. WHERE could he have gone? I made sure none of my friends had hidden him trying to be funny; nobody had. I sure as heck didn't hide him so for real, WHERE could he be?! The boys were worried to death. Tyler was an absolute wreck. Saturday night past with no action around the house from Fairbanks and Tyler pouted that he couldn't have come to life w/o his snowflakes on him anyway. By Sunday I was searching high and low with the kids for this elf, thinking about how I'd have to get a replacement if he didn't show up but then realizing the original could be found and I'd just be, as my BFF Nadia and I say, ska-rooooood! I knew Fairbanks had to be in our house somewhere so by Sunday night as I tucked in two very worried little boys, I told them that I had it all figured out: Fairbanks told us in a note before that his job is helping take care of the reindeer, and Evan had summoned an elf of his own this year and asked if a reindeer could come as well (see previously mentioned elf website) and I figured he had to go in a hurry to check on something and was probably picked up when we were next door all watching the game and didn't have time to write a note, etc.... Tyler, serious as a heart attack, exclaims that's not possible because "he wouldn't have left without his sack!" Well, I about hit the floor laughing and heaving but I controlled myself and assured him Fairbanks would be back and we'd find out what all happened!

Monday morning, I took the kids to school and came home determined to do nothing until I found Fairbanks. I did in fact find him around the TV and placed him in Tyler's room where he later found him and that night Fairbanks wrote a note to the boys about being sorry to upset them but he had to check on some new baby reindeer and make sure the others were ready to fly on Christmas Eve and assured Evan he'd have an elf friend and reindeer coming soon. This tickled them to death. So yes, Evan asked last year for an elf of his own so he does have one coming from the North Pole (i.e. UPS from the ATL) this very week along with a reindeer friend of the elves. I'm going to be cleaning up the messes these elves have to make every night for the next month on top of getting ready for Santa to visit. I swear, the things we do for our kids. I told Nadia the other day with Christmas shopping and now having to "summon" an elf and reindeer for Evan that I was on a budget for the next week because "I gave the elves my last sixty bucks." She herself has two elves and understands the seriousness of it all. I knew if we didn't get Evan's elf now, he'd be utterly disappointed but also, I'd probably forget in the midst of everything else going on right now!

*SIGH* Fairbanks has returned home, I am preparing for final exams, the boys both have Christmas songs to perform at school and I've got a to-do list a mile long before the 24th. Evan hasn't mentioned having a b'day party, he did months ago, but has kind of let it go now and since his b'day is the 26th it's become a tradition of sorts for the 3 of us to go see a movie that day and let Evan pick where we have lunch. Last year, it was Alvin and the Chipmunks and Dairy Queen. That boy is a sucker for some DQ. This year, we already know we're going to see Bedtime Stories and with any luck he'll pick my favorite sushi bar but I won't hold my breath. Alas, this story has a happy ending as Fairbanks is gearing up right now to play and make a mess to thrill my children to pieces when they find it all in the morning before school. He will be leaving with Santa in a couple of weeks however, and I'm sure this time he won't forget his sack!