For those of you that love The Elf on the Shelf, and for those of you that don’t, we’ve got two new Christmas traditions for you to introduce to your family; both of which offer kids a tangible touching-allowed experience.
Santa’s Magic Bootprints: A Family Tradition Begins …
By Dan K. Beard, illustrated by Jenice Lan
In the true spirit of Christmas magic, author Dan Beard introduces families to a whole new tradition that involves an imaginative tale about Santa Claus and 15 magic self-stick bootprints for children to discover on Christmas morning. For every child who has ever wondered ‘how does Santa Claus remember where every child lives’ and ‘how will he find me,’ this could be the story that you’re looking for. Every child that celebrates Christmas has always hoped for a sighting of Santa Claus, this new tradition is the next best thing! After a holiday season of reading Santa’s Magic Bootprints, there is no doubt that young kiddos will be amazed by the tangible experience of actually spotting the glittering bootprints and holding them in their excited hands. Fun for the whole family.
Ages 3-7 | Publisher: DBeard Creations | 2012 | ISBN-13: 978-0578110066
The Dwarf in the Drawer: A Mischievous Parody
L. van King, illustrated by Chuck Gonzales
Got Dwarf? If having to move your family’s elf around each and every evening while your kids are sleeping, and the no-touching-the-elf rule is completely insufferable for the youngest members of your family, or the idea of an elf spying on the entire family just creeps you out, you may just enjoy this wicked little parody that comes as a book and plush gift set—children are encouraged to snuggle and play with the plush dwarf who likes to sleep in underwear drawers.
I’m the Dwarf in the Drawer,
And I lived here before . . .
Before that darn elf—
That insufferable bore!
Ages 5-99 | Publisher: Square Fish | October 1, 2013 | ISBN-13: 978-1250041432
2 Comments
Christmas has always been a family celebration in the Grinkmeyer home, but as our children grew older we found that their interest in Christmas morning waned and the sparkle in their eyes was gone. The day after Thanksgiving, 1992, we introduced the Christmas Web in our home with the placement of Magic Wands into their socks that had for years been hung at the fireplace mantel. Attached to each Magic Wand was a piece of yarn (a 70 yard piece of yarn). When our two teen-aged children came down Christmas morning, they found that the yarn was wound through the house – around window latches, door knobs, chairs and doors. It ended in a closet or cabinet which held their special Christmas gift from one of Santa’s elves, an elf who had been looking out for them for the past year and knew of their desire for this special Christmas gift.
The Christmas Web continued as each of our children got married and as they had children. Each of our grandchildren have an Elf on the Shelf or Elf Magic elf who is now the elf that hides their special Christmas gift each year and leads them to it with their individual Magic Wand. We now have seven Magic Wands each with 70 yards of yarn winding through our house every Christmas morning, making getting a cup of coffee an acrobatic achievement before the winding hunt begins.
The Christmas Web has become a highly anticipated family tradition for our children, grandchildren and us. We hope it brings as much joy to your family as it has to ours.
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