LAST BUT NOT LEAST
What the Elf? Let’s give that creepy, pointy-eared spy an early Christmas vacation. Written by Emily DeRenzis, aka “Gelato Mama” | Illustrated by Christine Georgiades
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’m going to skip the mushy love stuff this time and get right to the point: I, Gelato Mama, hereby do declare that we need to come together as a community and rid our lives of The Elf on a Shelf. When did Santa stop being enough for our children? Here you will find my persuasive argument. Santa has been around for centuries. This is true because I read it on the internet when I Googled: “How long has Santa been around?” How long has Elf been around? Barely a decade. A decade of middle-of-the-night panic attacks, creepy and competitive hiding spots and countless four-letter words directed toward “That Lady Who Did This To Us.” Santa was a saint. He gave to people less fortunate than himself. He was a kind man who liked mothers; he didn’t have this weird, twisted need to make mothers feel badly about themselves if they hate a weird little doll with creepy eyes. Santa’s eyes are crinkly and happy, not all judge-y and disapproving like Elf’s. Elf is seriously overdoing it. Every night, Elf? Every. Damn. Night you need to go and tattle to Santa about what went down in the Gelato House? That’s aggressive.
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SOUTHBAY, HOLIDAY 2016
You should totally chill, Elf. Nobody likes a tattletale. Santa simply has sporadic visits here and there, checking in occasionally like a normal person because Santa is a forgiving, rational man who knows that little children can be jerks sometimes, and it’s not always their fault. You were tooootally teacher’s pet, weren’t you, Elf? Smirking up there in the front of the class. Pretty sure Santa was voted “Most Likely To Succeed.” Elf’s magic only exists if you don’t touch his precious little Elf Self. Here’s a magical little Elf who is friends with Santa! DON’T TOUCH HIM! HE’LL BURN IN ELF HELL! Santa’s magic knows no bounds. The man can pay a visit to every house in the land (in one night), leave gifts and stuff stockings without waking anyone, eat endless amounts of cookies without getting full. I mean, he rolls in a sleigh driven by flying reindeer, for God’s sake. How can we even compare this? It’s getting embarrassing that Elf is even a thing at all. I don’t mean to sound harsh; I just want the simplicity of the belief in Santa to be enough for our children. It still is for me. Happiest of holidays to you and yours!
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