Christmas Stress

The holidays are stressful.  Time, money, family, weather, health.... the list of culprits goes on and on.  But I'm not the one that's stressed.  It's Booker.  This Elf on the Shelf business stresses my little pleaser OUT.  I had been using Elvis to bribe them, threaten them, and even scare them that Santa wouldn't come.  And Booker just kept getting more and more of a put out attitude.  He was telling me he wished we didn't have an elf.  And then it hit me.  I'm obviously taking this elf thing a little too far.  I don't want him to lose his Christmas spirit because he's so stressed out about what the dumb elf is going to think or fly back and tell Santa.  That's pretty sad.  Booker is not a bad kid.  He's a boy... a rowdy, rough, loud, crazy boy.  But he's not the type of kid that deserves coal in his stocking.  And that's what it had come to in his little mind.  He knows he's on the naughty list, why even try anymore?  And that breaks my heart.  So, Elvis wrote the boys a little note that seems to have helped.  He explained that Santa understands that nobody is perfect, that boys will be boys, and that as of right now they are on the nice list.  I think Booker is starting to enjoy that devilish little elf again.  :)