Since Riley has just turned 3 years old, I'm looking forward to this Christmas more than any other since she's been born.  Why?  Because now she is old enough to actually understand who Santa is and learn about the North Pole and the magic that happens on Christmas Eve night as Santa delivers presents to all good little boys and girls around the world.  There's Christmas cookies to bake, carols to sing and trees to decorate.

This is the magical time in a child's life where their innocence is a wonder in itself and their ability to believe is nothing short of spectacular.  During these early years, I want to begin many family traditions with Riley which will be something to look forward to all year long.  Thanks to Elf Magic, I've just discovered a brand new Christmas tradition that's guaranteed to provide countless special memories for my daughter and for our entire family!

The tradition of Elf Magic started 50 years ago when Chief Elf Officer, Piper Worthington, was just a child.  Her mother would place an Elf in the house between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and mysterious things would start happening.  It was, of course, the mischievous Elf's doings!

The elves often were "helpful" with Piper's mother - sometimes the children were amazed to return home from school to see the "Elves" had done one of their chores like clean up the messy kitchen while they were gone, and Piper's mother was as "surprised" and grateful as the children were!  Many years later, in 1990, Worthington decided to share the love, awe, and utter disbelief she used to feel over the Elf's antics with children all over the world.  So, she talked Santa into letting her help him find good homes for his elves.

Elf Magic Elves, sent by Santa to visit children during the Christmas season, truly become a child's best friend and a part of the family in a way that is simply "magic"!  While their primary mission is to spread joy, love and kindness, they are also known to embark on adventures during the night.  When children awake in the morning, they're excited and surprised to find out what their Elf has been doing all night.  These adventures or "Elfcapades" can be helpful - like doing a child's chores, or silly - like getting stuck in a cereal box.

Typically, the Elf Magic tradition begins with a child writing a letter to Santa Claus before Thanksgiving requesting an Elf Magic friend to visit them through the holiday season.  Since Riley is only three years old and unable to write a letter, I just placed the I Love My Elf magnet and Elf Magic storybook right in the middle of the room where Riley was sure to find it when she woke up.

Then, I acted as surprised as she was and told her that those two items were magical and that Santa must have chosen her to receive a special Elf of his to take care of over the holidays!  Riley could hardly contain her excitement when she learned that Santa had picked her to receive a special Elf!

Next, I told her that we should read the book Santa sent to learn more about her new Elf friend.  Riley hung on my every word as we read the story explaining the tradition in detail.  After that, I told Riley that we had to find the Elf because chances were good that she was already here.  We raced around the house thinking about where an Elf would hide.

Finally, I told Riley that since Elves are from the North Pole, she'd probably be hiding in the coldest place in our house and that's when Riley said we should look in the freezer.  To everyone's amazement, Sapphire, our new Elf friend, was waiting there inside!

Riley scooped her up immediately and was thrilled to have her.  Inside Sapphire's bag was a list of care tips from Santa that we read through carefully.  We learned all about how Riley would need to sprinkle Sapphire with magic North Pole Snowflakes (included) to bring the Elf to life each night, once our family was asleep.  We also needed to leave crackers and ice water for her to eat every night, since those two items are a reminder of her snowy home.  The ice water is melting North Pole Snowflakes and the crackers sound like crunching snow!

Next, it was time to discover where Sapphire's luggage was hiding in our home.  Come to find out, Sapphire had hidden it among Riley's stuffed animals.  We explored where Sapphire would be playing and taking short naps from time to time.  The Elf Magic SnowCase contained a North Pole passport, Santa's Elf Travel Ticket and Boarding Pass attached to a luggage tag on the outside of the SnowCase.  It also had a drawer to store the Elf Magic Snowflakes, two hangers for Elfits and a pouch filled with stickers for decorating the outside of the SnowCase and passport.

Sapphire even thought to bring along her Sweet Dreams Nightgown and slippers and her Cozy Claus Quilt and Pillow Set so that her short naps would be comforting and restful.  She has to have plenty of energy for her night time Elfcapades!

Of course, all the fun doesn't happen at night - Elf Magic Elves love to be held and loved throughout the day.  Their visit is only for a short time, so playing with the Elf Magic Elf makes their stay even more special and creates family memories that will last a lifetime.  Elves return to the North Pole with Santa on Christmas Eve to help deliver toys around the world, but don't fret, for the Elves will return again next Christmas to create more fun-filled memories.

Elf Magic Elves are so endearing, they become the child's new best friend!  Because of this, Elves have been known to show up for brief visits throughout the year as a surprise for special events, like birthdays, the first day of school or even on family vacations!

Since Sapphire just came to stay with us today, I don't have any adventures to tell you about yet, but don't worry.  I will be posting again soon with plenty to share about her night time capers and stunts.  As a matter of fact, I think I hear a scratching sound in the pantry right now...

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Disclosure:  I received the items shown above from Elf Magic in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received. This product review is based on my own personal experiences with this item and is completely honest and objective.