K.A.C. 2025 - T - 17 Days ... [2005]

 

      Welcome back! It's Story Time, kiddies, as only the K.A.C. can tell them! Hey, why the sniffling? Oh, you've been here before ... well, don't ruin it for the new kids, huh? Besides, our stories always START OUT nice!

     Once upon a time, a LONG time ago (which a certain someone we know would say 'before humans were born' - hmmmfff ...), a little boy was looking forward to Christmas, as the decorations were brought out and the tree was trimmed and the next to last items to come out of the Christmas box were TWO happy little Kneehugger Pixies like the cutie to our left! 

     One would go somewhere on the tree (via the looped cord on top of the pixie's hat) and the other would sit on the fireplace mantel close to the tree in the living room. They were always jolly and merry and watched the world go by, keeping the little boy company as his little imaginary friends in his little world as Christmas approached. It was a happy, innocent time, until the Evil Poodle who lived with the little boy would bump the tree and knock the Tree Pixie off and scamper AWAY with him, mistaking him for a chew toy ... and that's why I (err, the little boy) only have ONE Pixie!

     Fast forward to 2005 - I've (nope, start again) - the little boy has grown up and gotten over his Christmas Catastrophe trauma, only whimpering a little in his sleep as the Day approaches. One day he sees news about a new book and fast-growing Christmas trend. It's called 'The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition'. He looks at the picture ... and starts to feel sweat on his brow ... and a chill on the back of his neck ... and that little fearful 'fight or flight' sensation in the pit of his stomach ... and he whispers 'noooooooo ....' 

     Turns out the little boy wasn't the ONLY one who grew up with the Kneehugger Pixies - EVERYBODY had them! One lady, Carol Aebersold, had one named Fisbee and HER Pixie begat a family tradition that had a Very Active Life as Santa's Secret Surveillance Spy! Rather, an elaborate and intricate way to make sure kids behaved and were good as Christmas approached. She continued the tradition with her family and, with her two daughters, wrote the book, complete with your own Elf.

     For those not familiar with how this goes, see the link below:

 

     https://www.google.com/search?q=The+Elf+on+the+Shelf&sa=X&sca_esv=9c3862cfc17cffc5&sxsrf=AE3TifNNbwFvhImYg2UjQfJNcuUfu7Vfyg%3A1764959037771&udm=50&fbs=AIIjpHz30rPMyW-0vSP0k1VTNmO_w7HWzdssfT8--zJ8qNsl8L7-5q__n7BwgNeB-qyHnRM_7gZrHm9VKIr7YPC9AA8CRDi4SlMdrCk44OVsf_IE9M7G6wNVy4Zv8_KHHAOTyAq5ebcmD7x59RttHe4NxxSaP-BlASp9tp9x8_d9YTDOH-bYbjmi63kENlECnrdtcQ1RZZYUHphY79QhN3OI6C3q-Gsv0LRrMgFsD5sGZDByAkMih-0&aep=1&ntc=1&ved=2ahUKEwji_fTjiKeRAxWt1vACHaXpE0AQ2J8OegQIChAD&biw=2048&bih=1019&dpr=1.25&mstk=AUtExfCl_0vBL9lM0XcYH-XMKv7ohTl4XX29imBG3pHbF6p0w2JSVOIRpZyvZi3rjrl-DauWnf4bdaMbCxUd-FgiCXF9yKmypHhAFHM19Bg3BQCOCjxUg-FJDVVlBwcTVA5nTfSXSz_QT-5hNXdHUu2K0IKeqYlf9SZi_6-6LT48Ac-bebq5JttcGPCh7EkffiIaCPjZZgqdr5z244gtX1Ep9CWvd8q9r6rmtYZfRu9l0Vcl0y3AqAcZ-N5oMbZr4VmafnsLeNs3UaDVL86jm_Tg3LjdUvQ_lBYWRDFlrGTPkaYY0T4Z-F4qRIawBnI5TMe6f7UkbuBhvDy7fpEqoRIZ6v_KrYeyvsjTjQ&csuir=1&mtid=tiMzaarBMJPj5NoPxeXu8QQ 

      

        At first, it was  a cute way to keep kids entertained as the holiday got closer. The kids would go to sleep, the Elf would hide somewhere else in the house, the kids were search all over, happily yelling when they found their Elf ... and them some 'Overachiever Parent' set off the E.O.T.S. BOMB, and just HAD to share their Rube Goldberg-like expanded dioramas and scenarios to 'increase the fun', causing a MASSIVE backlash from already Harried From the Holidays parents, now having to come up with 24 'fun' scenes for the kiddies to wake up to. Eventually one or both of the parents would start to snap and the scenarios would get .. a little strange. Our Elf to the left is on the cute side, but do your own Google Images Search to see some folks having a Very Dark Christmas!

     The merchandising took off, of course, with books, clothing and toys including other characters from the Elf's universe. Thankfully the little boy who grew up and saw the book and heard the harried tales KNEW better than to go down that dark road ... and besides, his home was already filled with other toys and tales and flight of wild imagination to keep his child happy ... and just a 'little' fearful over Christmas, more courtesy of a man named Dickens.

     We'll close our tale with two videos: the first an animated version of the 'playful' look most parents aspire to, and the second, well ... let's just say it's a 'cautionary NSFW tale' on why your kids should have a cutoff date with our little friend (especially if your Elf looks like Jason Momoa): 

 

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Unk5-Qrqu6g 

 

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9EJSMG_cdo 

     Back tomorrow with more!