Elf On The Shelf.... Of Doom.

I love hiding our Elf for my 2 year old every night.  Trying to find creative and silly situations that a toddler will appreciate is challenging. Peeking out from behind Santa, hilarious. Upside down in a wine glass with purple lips, not so much. There is a delicate balance between my sense of humor and hers. Sometimes this balance can be thrown off. This is one of those times.

A few nights ago I decided to have our elf peaking out of a large hurricane style candle. It was adorable. Holding herself up by her little green mitten covered hands, her giant head grinning above the glass. This was going to totally be a win. The candle was located right below the television. Front and center. Easy for her to find on her own but still just hidden enough for her to feel like she did it herself.

With all the waking up and bright sunlight streaming in our windows, both the kid and I forgot about our elf friend the next morning. We went about our typical diaper/breakfast/diaper/juice/diaper/I WATCH DIEGO routine. It was the latter that we were getting to when she saw her. At first she just stood there. Staring. 

"Oh no!! My friend!!!! Get her, Mommy! I save her!!"

Giggling, I picked up the elf and handed her over. (Typical Elf On The Shelf rules are that you are not to touch the elf, it will diminish their magical powers. We break the rules, she gets to play with her elf friend once she finds her. Two year olds think everything has magical powers and there is no explaining that something has lost them.) "You found her, good job sweetheart!!" She glared at me and hugged her elf tight, very concerned and asked her if she was ok.

"Her cheeks all red, Mommy!"

I was confused. Why would she think her little friend was injured? I hid the elf every night and my daughter had never had this reaction before. Hiding her in a sparkly boot? Hilarious. Hiding her in a package under our tree? Too funny for words. Hiding her in the candle- Oh no. Wait. There was my answer. I had hidden her in a candle. We had taught the toddler that candles were not to be touched. Ever. They could HURT YOU!!! The poor kid saw her friend teetering on the edge of certain doom.

"No Mommy she not ok. I need wipe."

With my tail between my legs I handed over a baby wipe and watched my smarter-than-me two year old tend to her tiny friend's "wounds". I didn't bother to confuse her by trying to explain that unlit candles were not dangerous. Instead I decided to sit down and record my winning mommy moment for you all.

Tis the season. Happy Holidays dear readers!! Please feel free to share your holiday fails or leave a link to them in the comments.