When my children were young, I started what became a special holiday tradition, revolving around a "lost" Christmas elf who "visited" our home.

About two weeks before Christmas, I'd get out the Christmas elf, which was a vintage decoration with a plastic head and felt body, that had been handed down through the family. I had been fascinated with these long-legged elves when I was a child, which is what inspired the idea. Each night, my husband and I would hide the elf, and the next morning, whoever found the elf got a prize. By day, the elf had to return to his perch on the mantel, where he took note of who was naughty and who was nice.

The elf prizes were not expensive and could include candy, coloring books, marbles, comics, books, or a small toy--the kind of things that also make great stocking stuffers. Often, we'd go to a discount store and purchase various toys for the prizes and could load up with a lot of elf prizes for under $20.00.

Christmas Eve, was the final night of the elf search, for the story goes that Santa picked the elf up on the long Christmas Eve journey and took him back to the North Pole until next year. That was the best night of all as each child received a special elf gift, which was typically something a bit larger and more expensive, often something on their wish list to Santa.

Needless to say our children loved this tradition. Their squeals of joy would fill the house as they searched for the elf, and they treasured the gifts, no matter how small. It made the holiday season even more special to them.

Now, that they're all grown, they look back fondly on their quest to find the Christmas Elf, and I'm sure they'll carry on this holiday tradition with their own children someday.