The elves are generally purchased. Those elves have been around since I was a kid, and I'm in my mid-fifties. I you wanted to make one, perhaps the Magic Threads patterns would be a place to start.

THANK YOU! Sorry if I missed it above. I thought I looked good. Does anyone know the channel that airs the Christmas episodes of the old sitcoms? TVLand? As many times as I watch shows relating to Christmas, I can watch them again and again. Polar Express is, by far, one of my top favorite Christmas shows. Thanks again. Donna

It's been quiet around here lately so I thought I'd give you guys a laugh at my expense ;-). I went into this nursery to buy an elf on the shelf and came home with these (I did find the elf!). They were 50% off and had been left in the cold. We've had lows to 31 the last few days...I'm amazed they survived. The calamondin is especially pathetic-looking. Yes...I know...I did not need anymore trees....but nobody would have bought such a pathetic pair and they would have died! They are so deficient that the leaves blend in with the fruit :-(. For those of you who are new to citrus, here is my new tree next to one that I bought from the same nursery (same variety) early this summer. Proper fertilization and care do make a big difference. This tree did manage to still produce quite a few fruits, but eventually, the lack of nutrition would take its toll.

Personally? I despise the elf on the shelf. My kids know about it because all of their elementary teachers have had one in the classroom. Of course I'm the sort of "negative Nancy" that also doesn't do Santa or any other mystical creatures. My kids and I somehow got on the topic of the elf today in fact, and I mentioned to them that the "elf" didn't even exist when I was a kid, it's only been around for 10-15 years. Commercialism at its best. Some of my closest friends go all out with the elf thing and/or the santa thing but for me? It's just never sat well with me. I've strived to raise my kids with a healthy amount of skepticism, mostly so they won't be duped by whatever fantasy fairy tale BS is fed to them by society, religious groups, political extremists, etc. I've always believed it wasn't my job to teach my children WHAT to think, but rather my job to teach them HOW to think. Pretending that fantasy and mysticism are real just seems confusing to me, so I've never done it. I'm sure this marks me as a fuddy duddy who is spoiling the season for others, though that is NOT my intent.