Santa's Helper

I want to make sure and jot down a sweet Christmas exercise at Palmer's school.  The magic of Christmas was exhibited in full force every day for several weeks and the whole experience made the season extra special.

Upon returning from Thanksgiving break, Palmer announced that an elf on the shelf had arrived in his classroom.  Since we don't do elf on the shelf at home and Palmer hadn't had an elf in his classroom in previous years, he was super excited to finally experience a magical elf.  Palmer assured me that he was extra good in the classroom since the elf, "Pines Christopher Jeffrey," was watching.

A few days later, Palmer came home and broke the news that he may not be around much because "Santa needed his help."  Palmer wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but Palmer was willing to go to the North Pole or wherever Santa needed him.

Palmer learned that the North Pole was short on elves and all of the second graders were going to apply for the position.  Over the next few weeks, the kids put together resumes, wrote essays, application cover letters, and prepared for an interview with reps from the North Pole HR team.

The kids got all dressed in their best elf gear for the big interview and were so excited to have a chance at the job (although one of Palmer's friends was stressed because he would rather go to Mexico with his family instead of the North Pole on Christmas Eve.)

In the end, the kids were all designated "Very Special Elves" and given stickers to spread to people at Christmas time who seemed sad and needed a little extra Christmas cheer.  We were a little relieved to learn that Palmer would stay with us this Christmas, too.

-Bethany