How We Watch Elf

Each December the family sits down and watches Elf together. We watch it in a special way and as I was telling some friends about it one said it needed to be on the blog. So here it is, how we watch Elf.

Needed Materials:
pajamas
blankets and pillows
one copy of Elf starring Will Ferrell
cotton candy, preferably white
mini bottles of Coca-Cola 
hot chocolate
gum drops (we used Dots)
candy canes
marshmallows
cookies
popcorn


First:
Feed the children lots of veggies and protein for dinner. This important because soon enough they will be inundated with sugar. Have them drink water, too.

Next:
Get everyone ready. Pajamas, favorite blankets, snuggle down, pop the popcorn, start the movie.

Then:
Wait for key phrases and scenes in the movie. When they happen pause the movie and pass out the food. (Or keep the movie playing - whatever works best for your family.)

#1 - "I'm a cotton-headed ninny muggin" = everyone gets a bit of cotton candy. I usually pass it out while calling everyone cotton-headed ninny muggins because I'm such a good mom.

#2 - Buddy walks through the Candy Cane Forrest = pass out a candy cane to everyone.

#3 - Buddy tells of how he ventured through the sea of swirly whirly gumdrops = each kid gets a small handful of gumdrops.

#4 - At dinner with his family Buddy guzzles a 2 liter bottle of Coca-Cola = pass out mini bottles of Caffeine Free Coca-Cola (watch out for Buddy-sized burps from the kids)

#5 - Buddy and Michael have the snowball fight = throw marshmallows at your kids.

#6 - Buddy takes Jovie on date and she drinks the World's Best Cup of Coffee = mugs of hot chocolate

#7 - When Buddy etch-a-sketches the apology / good-bye letter to his family (I'm sorry I ruined your lives and crammed eleven cookies into the VCR.) = everyone gets a cookie (or eleven, but I would stick with one small one.)

And that's it. If everyone sings along to "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" at the end that's a lot of fun, too.  And honestly, I either do the coke or the cocoa and not both.

My kids look forward to this every year, and honestly, I do too. It's such a fun tradition.