Elf on the CHRISTmas Shelf - Plan 2: Days 14-17

Hello!  We are about half-way through Turkey's adventures!  This was a long season this year and my boys are loving every minute of it! They love their elf so much!

DAY 14 - PAPER CHAIN - PATIENCE

It's about this time every December that my boys start wondering how close we are to Christmas Day.  So this year, Turkey decided that they needed a visual reminder so they don't keep asking mom and dad.

 Turkey also decided it was a good way to teach the boys about Patience!  Remember it was one of the Fruits of the Spirit?  It is also a GREAT reminder to little kids that they can't always have what they want right away!  Good news is that we were going to the Nutcracker that night, so they at least didn't need to wait for that bit of Holiday fun! If you don't have tickets to see anything special or don't go to the Nutcracker, use it as an opportunity to do something fun as a family!

DAY 15 - DONATE OLD TOYS - GIVING

We usually end up with toy overload this time of year.  Not only do we have Christmas, but both our boys have winter birthdays!  One right before Christmas and the other right after it! So needless to say, it's the boys' favorite time of the year. They are literally swimming in their toys and many that we currently have are not played with anymore.  In steps Turkey to save the day for mom!

Turkey asked the boys to take some of their gently used toys and put them in the bucket so that we could give them away to the Salvation Army. This worked out great because not only did we get to purge a little bit, but we also switched their brain from thinking about getting, to giving instead.  Way to go Turkey! By the end of the day, our youngest was trying to get rid of his favorite toys because he thought other children would enjoy playing with them.  He has such a sweet heart, it almost brings me to tears!

DAY 16 - PLAYING GOLF - CHILDREN COME TO JESUS

My husband's favorite sport is golf, so of course I needed to somehow allow Turkey to play a hole or two. 

Who better to caddy for Turkey than Buddy the Elf?! I purchased a doll stand from Amazon this year to help with certain poses like this one!  It was a blessing to have it and didn't cost very much at all! The greens are a piece of green felt. The ball is just a crumpled piece of paper and the flag pole is a straw that I wrapped a red string around.  Again, glue dots are my friend and allowed the flag pole to stand up! I wonder if Turkey made the put?

Turkey's letter today reminds the boys about the story when the little children tried to see Jesus, but the disciples wouldn't allow them to get close.  When Jesus saw what was happening, he insisted that the little children be brought to him.  I hope that this story teaches the boys that Jesus thinks they are important too and that He loves them just as much as He loves the adults.

DAY 17 - TURKEY IS PUMPING IRON - NO COMPLAINING

Wow!  Today's topic is a tough one! First off, it is much harder than it looks to get your elf to lift weights!!

  Apparently my toothpick wasn't long enough for my marshmallow weights! It took me a long time to get the toothpick to balance just right, but it was a hit!

Turkey's letter today touches on how we should NOT COMPLAIN about anything.  That is a tough one! Especially this season since it seams like everyone keep giving my kids candy or some kind of cookie or baked good and they turn out to be little complaining and disobeying monsters! It's hard, but I just have to stick with it.  Plus, with Turkey's help, they *hopefully* will think twice before they start to complain again!

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Check out my other Elf on the CHRISTmas Shelf posts to see everything that Turkey did and taught us this year!

Days 0-3
Days 4-6
Days 7-9
Days 10-13
Days 18-21
Days 22-25
Days 26-29
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To download my entire Plan 2 Elf on the CHRISTmas Shelf document click here.  There are 30 different ideas here and it is complete with all the needed supplies and pictures (minus letters)!
I am happy to personalize my letters for you and your child(ren) if you like. See my Etsy listing for 25 days of Kindness Letters that correspond with this plan.  You may always add more if needed for an additional cost.