Call Me a Grinch When It Comes to the "Elves"

Around Christmas time last year Kennedy came home from school one day and said, "Mom, I would like an elf." I was clueless, an elf? She told me all of the kids in her class at school had elves and she would like one too. She said that you write Santa a letter and ask him to send you one, and then he does. I called my friend Katie who explained the "elf phenomena" to me. Apparently some mom came up with the concept that an elf (a stuffed animal) comes to your house to make sure you are behaving for Santa. The elf also does "mischevious" things while you are away like spreads a few toys around. Normally I don't give into the "just because everyone else has one" concept, but I caved and last year my kids got elves. The longer the elves were with us, the more I began to loathe them. My kids were expecting them do do funny things, "hide", etc., and our bedtime routine was constantly delayed by Kennedy preparing plates of peppermints for the elves to eat during the night. Kennedy then would come home saying this boy's elf brought him this present, and this girl's elf, did this-expecting hers to do the same. Now I am a generally a lover of all things Christmas, but come on, isn't Santa enough? The elves "went home" with Santa on Christmas Eve, and I could not have been happier.
So anyways, last year I swore the elves would never come again. However, much to my chagrin, last week the elf conversations began to come up again. So and so's elf did this, their elf did this, this friend's elf brought them this huge gift (seriously, when did the elves start delivering gifts Dec. 1st?). Anyways, I have spent the last few days trying to convince Kennedy that the elves needed to visit someone else this year and that we didn't need them at our house this year. This has been very disappointing. I told her that maybe her elf could go visit someone who didn't have an elf last year. She quickly informed me that Santa had plenty of elves for everyone--apparently she is very knowledgeable in the workings of the North Pole. Anyways, after continual begging for the elves to return, I told her she needed to talk to Chris. So she did. He told her that she needed to talk to me. In a moment of weakness I told her she could write Santa tonight and ask for her elf to return. I admit, I caved--total lack of parental enforcement. So maybe I'll keep you up to date on our visitors--that is if they "remember" they are supposed to do stuff!!