The Elf on the Shelf Gift Set is a cute rhyming storybook with an accompanying Santa’s elf. The elf is a scout for Santa Claus, and every night he returns to the North Pole to report on who’s been naughty and who’s been nice. When the kids wake up, he’s hiding in a new place each morning. The book has been around for a few years, but I recently learned of it and bought the set based on positive reviews on Amazon.

One parent said, “After hearing from friends and reading reviews how great this was, we bit the bullet and got it. I cannot say enough about how cute this was for our two boys (age 6 and 3). They bolted downstairs every morning to find the elf, and the oldest cried when he touched it accidentally because he thought it would lose its magic. The story and elf was the sweetest thing. Note, however, that parents have to remember to move the elf around every night, or come up with creative excuses for why the elf decided to come back from the North Pole into the same spot! .”

Yes, indeed, if you buy the Elf on the Shelf gift set, be prepared to come up with a new hiding spot every night!! This has been my biggest challenge, as the holidays are a busy time already, and remembering to move the elf every night can be difficult if you don’t make a habit of it. But it’s definitely worth it if you want to bring a little Christmas magic into your house.

More on the Elf on the Shelf Gift Set and Other Elf Toys and Books.

It’s always been hard to capture real Santa pictures. He has to fly at night to avoid air traffic and all those questions little kids would ask at every house if he tried to visit during the day when they were awake. And his magic reindeer are faster than the speed of sound or he’d never make it around the world in one night. So getting real pictures of Santa has traditionally been darn near impossible.

So I love this new website – Capture the Magic of Santa. Through the magic of digital technology, they can help you capture real Santa pictures right in your home. You might find St. Nick in your living room, your kitchen, perhaps even your child’s bedroom. He might even be talking to your pets or standing outside your front door. In fact, with this site you can capture photos of Santa in any room of the home you choose.

You simply upload a photo of some place in or around your home (or a photo of any location), and select from dozens of images of Santa. Then, with the miracle of modern technology, you can finally get a photo of Santa in your house to prove to your child that he really DID visit while everyone was sleeping. You might even be able to capture a photo of the jolly old elf looking over your child while he or she is snoozing. You never know!

So have some fun and check it out.