Farewell, Buddy

Remember our little shelf elf, Buddy? He had to go home to the North Pole for another 11 months. Madison was pretty sad about this fact. I thought he could just go back in the box he came in. "No! mom! He HAS to fly back to the North Pole and help Santa!"

Apparently he was supposed to go back in the wee hours of Christmas morning when Santa was doing his rounds. I suggested to Madison that maybe buddy could stay just one more day and watch the kids open their presents.

With a pleading look on her face she looked up at Buddy sitting high on his perch above the cabinets, and said "Can you Buddy? Can you? Please Buddy just stay one more day. Can you please? Just nod your head if you can. Come on, Buddy, just nod your head." And when Buddy just sat there motionless she hung her head and turned to me and with tears in her eyes said "Oh. I guess that means no. " Then she sniffed and walked off.

I thought about my sad little girl and the situation for a few minutes then I suggested to her that maybe he couldn't nod his head because he couldn't answer her question. Maybe he needed to ask Santa's permission if he could stay. Maybe it wasn't up to him.

So with hope in her eyes she turned to Buddy, "Did you hear that Buddy, did you? Can you please ask Santa if you can stay for one more day? When he comes tonight, will you please ask him?"

And so it is with a happy heart that I would like to report that Buddy indeed did get to spend one more day with us, as we found him hiding in the Christmas tree the next day watching us all open our presents.