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In Today's SNN
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Letter From Santa
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A Special St. Patrick's Day Letter From Santa
Hello, dear friends! It's been quite some time since I last wrote, so
I've decided to take this special opportunity to update you on a few
very exciting developments that've taken place at the North Pole in
recent days.
Since my best elf friends returned from your homes
just a few short months ago, they've been hard at work designing new
toys, studying their favorite subjects during the spring school semester
and training the baby reindeer to pull my sleigh during our upcoming
Christmas journey around the world. They've also been keeping in touch
with many of you through Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube; my elves
absolutely love hearing about your lives when they are away at the North
Pole!
Last Friday, in the midst of this joyous hustle-and-bustle,
when the catchy words of "Getting Things Ready" were on all of our lips,
in walked a special visitor that brought everything to a halt! The elves
stopped in their tracks while the machines hushed to a whisper, and
the only sound cascading across the land was that of my adorable wife,
Mrs. Claus, as she sang, "Cousin Patrick" has returned!"
At the
sound of her voice, the North Pole filled with glee as the elves and
reindeer jumped and danced, each awaiting a turn to greet Patrick the
Leprechaun, a longtime friend of ours who shares a love for playfulness,
togetherness and, yes, occasionally some mischief. Known 'round the
world as a symbol of St. Patrick's Day, cousin Patrick is also quite
the entertainer -- upon his surprise North Pole arrival, he turned the
frozen Snowman's Pond dark green to the delight of the elves, who know
a thing or two about pulling stunts themselves.
As thrilling
as Patrick's arrival turned out to be, even I couldn't have predicted
what happened next. With the excitement dying down, Patrick smiled and
told us he had a very special announcement to make: He'd brought with
him two traveling companions ... his elf cousins from Ireland! Out from
behind the wall of the elf-cateria jumped two freckled elves dressed
in green, a boy with a crewcut and girl with ponytails, each with dark
red hair. We could not believe our eyes! Booming songs of joy and elf
chatter hummed across the land as we learned that cousin Patrick had
helped these special elves relocate from Ireland to our village, where
they'd come to stay and work alongside us ... and that they'd also be
visiting the homes of boys and girls this Christmas!
With a wink
to Mrs. Claus, I hushed the crowd and announced that work was done for
the day -- it's not like the elves could've concentrated with this much
excitement, anyway -- and, so began the celebration of the arrival of
Patrick and my new elves. The festivities kicked-off at O'Rudolph's,
as the elves shared a late-afternoon snack of cookies and cupcakes shaped
like shamrocks and sprinkled with marshmallows from Lucky Charms. Patrick
even wowed the crowd by turning thousands of apple cider jugs green
at once!
As this momentous occasion grew long into the night,
my spokes-elves Jingle and Jangle approached me with a wonderful idea:
why not give the elves St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) off of work to
visit children's homes for one special night of adventure? Since I was
trying to think of a way to share the joy of this day with our Elf Magic
friends across the world, this thought came at the perfect time! So,
as word of my decision trickled 'round the room, cousin Patrick gathered
everyone around at a big chalk board, where he began excitedly drawing
diagrams of adventure ideas for the traveling elves who will soon be
taking flight on their one-day trip. He and his Irish elf friends are
masters of surprise, so the travelers listened with great anticipation,
conjuring visions of all the fun that would imminently take place! Elf
Malone has offered to describe some of these ideas below in a special
column, "O'Brother! What To Do on an Elves' Day Off?!"
Before
I close, I want to say again how much I appreciate you being patient
while your elves are away at the North Pole! There's always so much
preparation to be done for the holidays -- our favorite time of year
-- so I can't let every elf leave for St. Patrick's Day. My elves who
must stay understand this and I hope you do, too -- believe me, I wish
we could be with you year-round! If your elf can't visit until the holidays
this year, please know that he or she is very important to my work and
you should be proud of all that your elf has accomplished!
Finally,
Mrs. Claus is still hosting 'Santa's Sleigh Specials' on my favorite website! Be sure to help her say, "Out with the old and in with the
new," as we make room for new toys and other surprises that we'll tell
you more about soon!
If you know someone who would love Elf Magic,
please forward SNN to your family and friends. And, if you don't want
to receive future editions of SNN, simply click the 'SafeUnsubscribe'
link at the bottom.
May you and your family have a blessed springtime,
wherever you are!
I hope that you find the magic of Christmas
in your everyday!
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 OʼBrother! What To Do on an Elvesʼ Day Off?!
By ELF MALONE
In the wake of Patrick the Leprechaun's recent arrival to the North
Pole with two new freckle-faced elves from Ireland, St. Nick has issued
an exciting proclamation: many of of his best elf friends will be taking
a short, one-day "spring break" to visit their child friends on St.
Patrick's Day! With little time to prepare, we thought your family could
use a few tips to ensure you get the most out of the time spent with
your adventurous friends:
Catch-a-Leprechaun
Cousin
Patrick isn't the only leprechaun who's known to make surprise visits.
And, like elves, leprechauns love to make it hard for you to find them
when they arrive. So, let your elf friend help you make a friendly trap
for the little green man. Family Fun has come up with a few great ways
to 'catch-a-leprechaun':
Leprechaun Hat Pit Trap
Leprechauns
have big egos, so a giant version of their own hat is irresistible to
them. Once they step on the false top, you'll have caught a 10-gallon
prize.
Our hat, a recycled oatmeal container, is wrapped with
green felt secured with double-sided tape. To make the trap, we cut
a hole in the lid (see image), then cunningly concealed it with a circle
of green felt that will give way when the leprechaun steps on it. So
that the top doesn't give way too soon, use a lightweight bait, such
as a crumpled piece of gold foil. Our ladder is made from twigs held
together with wood glue.
Leprechauns love to break rules. Warning
signs are sure to lure them in. Natural materials make these woodland
creatures feel at home.
Rainbow Cage Drop
No self-respecting
leprechaun can resist a giant rainbow. As he gets close and spies the
gold bait, his curiosity will get the best of him. When he pinches the
pot, down comes the cage!
A bent wire hanger (1) hidden by a
piece of poster board (2) forms the support for the suspended cage.
We bent the hook of the hanger into a loop to hold the line. To conceal
the cage, we tucked fiberfill into the weave of the basket, giving it
the look of a fluffy cloud.
The weight of the bait holds down
the fishing line. Ours is a mini flowerpot painted black and filled
with gold-painted rocks. Glitter glue adds extra sparkle. Grasslike
fabric blankets the base, evoking the Emerald Isle.
We added
a path made of glitter craft foam to point the way to the bait. Leprechauns
are drawn to flashy objects.
Tricky Trapdoor
This trap
draws on time-honored technology: a swinging door cut into the top of
the box gives way when the leprechaun tries to make off with the bait.
You can never have too many rainbows on your trap. This one
is made from pipe cleaners. For bait, try chocolate coins, shiny jewels,
or even a worn-out doll shoe! (Leprechauns are cobblers by trade). We
glued the coins in a pile to keep them secure when the trap is sprung.
Our trapdoor is a flap held up by a tab of card stock (taped
in place after the box is decorated). This climbing wall is sure to
entice the little adventurers. Ours consists of small rocks affixed
with tacky glue to the sponge-painted box. We covered our box with tissue
paper (green, of course) attached with glue stick. Capture the look
of the Irish countryside with stones and bits of moss.
Make
Your Own Leprechaun Even if you can't catch a leprechaun this
March 17th, you can still make one. Materials: Toilet paper
tube; Green craft foam; Acrylic paints: green, skin-tone, pink, and
brown; Black permanent marker; Tacky glue; 4 brown pipe cleaners; and
Decorative button. Directions:
- For this crafty little decoration, first trace around the end
of a toilet paper tube onto a piece of green craft foam.
- Draw a 2 1/2-inch circle around the first circle, then cut them
both out to create a hat top and brim and set them aside.
- Next, using acrylic paints, paint the paper tube green. Add
a skin-tone face and hands, plus rosy cheeks, as well as a band
of brown paint around the back for hair.
- Once the paint has dried, use a permanent marker to draw on
facial and clothing details, then use tacky glue to stick on 3 coiled
brown pipe cleaners: 2 in the back for hair and 1 around the face
for a beard. For feet, fold another pipe cleaner in half, then tightly
coil and pinch the ends, as shown.
- Place the folded pipe cleaner inside the tube and glue the feet
to the edge. Glue on the hat top and brim and a 5 1/2- by 1/2-inch
strip of craft foam for arms.
- Finally, glue a decorative button to the hat brim.
Visit
Family Fun for more great St. Patty's
Day ideas and recipes to make alongside your elf. Keep An Eye
Out for Leprechaun Mischief! Like many of the elves, leprechauns
are known for causing a wee bit of trouble when you're fast asleep.
But, as tricky as cousin Patrick and his friends pretend to be, their
antics are usually spotted easily by the trail of chocolate coins they
leave behind. Look around tipped over kitchen chairs, pictures that
have been hung upside down and couch cushions that have been tossed
onto the floor for chocolate evidence of a leprechaun's 'night out!'
Best of the (Green) Web
In addition to the great ideas
on Family Fun's
website, also check-out Enchanted Learning's
great list of kid-friendly crafts that
are focused on St. Patty's Day. Blarney stones, rainbow-colored drinks
and leprechaun marionettes are just the start of the extensive ideas
on
Enchanted Learning's site!
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