tonight we had dinner at casa orozco with our favorite date night couple, matt and alyssa. i had been looking forward to it all day because the only time i’d left the house since tuesday was to go to the post office to mail our christmas cards. needless to say, i was craving a little fresh air.

ok, i was craving a burrito and a margarita, too.

when we picked them up, i was surprised to see alyssa holding a present wrapped neatly in pretty holiday wrapping paper. immediately i thought, “oh no! their gift hasn’t arrived yet!” followed by “oh well, just another excuse to hang out again before christmas.” she said it was the only gift she’d bought so far, and that she couldn’t wait for us to open it, so after dinner we did just that.

what was inside, you ask? only the cutest, most thoughtful christmas gift two friends could ever give a little family of three. it was a tradition in a box! the box contains an adorable little elf and a children’s book called the elf on the shelf.

the barnes & noble web site explains it well:

based on the tradition carol aebersold began with her family in the 1970s, this cleverly rhymed children’s book explains that santa knows who is naughty and/or nice because he sends a scout elf to every home. during the holiday season, the elf watches children by day and reports to santa each night. when children awake, the elf has returned from the north pole and can be found hiding in a different location. this activity allows the elf on the shelf to become a delightful hide-and-seek game.

such a cute idea! i’m sure this will be one of many traditions we carry with our family throughout the years, and we’re so touched they thought to pass it on to us <3