When Adam Reed went out in search of a Elf on the Shelf for his family, he wasn’t very impressed with what he found, and he certainly didn’t like the message that a spying, lurking, pranking elf was supposed to send to his children.
“I didn’t realize that kids can’t touch it or it loses its Christmas magic,” he told Huffington Post . “And that I’d have to move the darn thing every morning. For me and my family, it wasn’t the right tradition.”
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Although he didn’t quite connect with the elf, Reed couldn’t seem to find any other Christmas tradition he felt would be perfect for his young family.
But rather than simply give up entirely, this Los Angeles-based producer and children’s book author decided that if he couldn’t find one he liked, then he would just have to come up with his own holiday tradition to enjoy with his kids every year.
Thus, Reindeer In Here was born.
The concept is simple, but positively sweet: Santa sends a reindeer to a child in early December as a way of getting to know them better.
The adorable plushie isn’t meant to spy on children, tattle on them, or pull pranks inside their home. Instead, it’s simply there to learn as much about each child as they can, so when it returns to the North Pole with Santa on Christmas Eve, it can deliver their “true Christmas wish.”
Then the child’s beloved reindeer will return next year to do it all again!
But the reindeer isn’t just there to learn about the children — it’s meant to be their holiday friend, there to bond with them and help get them in the Christmas spirit.
Children are encouraged to take their reindeer on lots of adventures and to cuddle it at night. When Christmas Eve rolls around, they place the reindeer under the tree for Santa and bid their bestie good-bye for now.
It’s also meant to promote inclusivity. As the product’s website explains, the reindeer plushie has one antler that’s smaller than the other to celebrate the fact that “being different is normal.”
Reed sells both the adorable reindeer stuffed animal and an accompanying story book about the magical creature’s adventures for children to read and enjoy.
Both products are available for purchase through such retailers, as Hallmark and Target, and are even available on Amazon . You can also pick up Cane the Snowman as a plushie companion for your reindeer or simply an adorable decoration for your home!
The product has even proved popular with such celebrity parents as Jewel, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Snooki who have all shared sweet snaps of their little ones cuddling up to their very own Reindeer in Here plushies.
While Reed is certainly proud of his product, he admitted he’s most proud of the connections children have made with their very own Reindeer In Here.
“The child makes it their own ― they name it and decide if it’s a boy or girl,” he told Huff Post . “Many parents at book signings have said, ‘Thank you, finally a tradition that has no stress beyond me giving it to my child and saying it’s their first gift for the holiday season from Santa. My child can have a magical experience where they take it everywhere.’”
So what do you say? Think it’s time for your family to try out a brand new Christmas tradition? Or do you prefer the good old Elf on the Shelf bit? Let us know!
h/t: Huffington Post
