I have a confession.

A small one, but a confession nonetheless.

There is a tiny elf that lives in my house during the month of December.

And he didn’t just show up. Nope. In a moment of weakness, I invited him. And it turns out that my kids love him. And they’ve named him. And now, he just keeps coming back.

I know, I know.

Controversy.

Especially in the Christian circuit, but please hear me out on this one. You see, we are Team Jesus over here. We are Advent and Luke 2 and Nativity all the way. Our kids know why we celebrate Christmas. They know about Jesus’ birth. They know the stories and the significance and the need for a Savior. We attend church, we pray, we listen to worship music and we have scripture hanging in our house. I want them to know and love Jesus more than I want anything else in the world.

But here’s the reality. We live in a world of Santa and Elf and Reindeer. We can try to avoid those things, but eventually, they will pop up—on TV, at school, at the grocery store. Their friends talk about it. Their teachers talk about it. Their grandparents talk about it. Unless you home school, do all of your shopping online, eliminate electronics, and live in your own controlled neighborhood with only people who believe what you believe, your kids will hear about the other side of Christmas.

As parents trying to raise Christian kids in a secular world, we do need to be thoughtful about the things they are exposed to. But I also think that we need to be aware that secluding ourselves from this world, sometimes draws more lines in the sand and causes more divisions between the people. People who are supposed to be loving each other, not shaming the ones that have an elf.

So, can we do both? Can we love Jesus and also have an Elf?

Of course we can. And we can do it without all the guilt and fuss and massive planning (and forgetting) the night before.

Here’s how we make it work in our house, because The Elf on MY Shelf loves Jesus.

So, we start with his arrival. He always brings a note (I mean, how else would we know what he is thinking)? This note, and every note along the way, speaks directly to the heart of Christmas and reminds us that Jesus is the reason we celebrate. It’s subtle. It’s organic. It’s easy.

Next, let’s think about placement. He moves at night, right? Where or what in your home could he be doing? Do you have a bible? Prop it open to the story of Christmas and have him reading it. Do you have a nativity scene? Place him in it. Do you have a message board? Have him leave a positive note about Jesus.

And finally, shenanigans. Yes, they are fun, but your elf does not always have to be up to no good. He can spread kindness and Christmas spirit and joy in a way that is super relatable to children. Our elf is not a warning “to be good”, he is a reminder that we have good in all of us.  The same messages that we give our kids all year long, also comes straight from the elf, and sometimes they hear it just a little more clearly from the tiny stuffed elf on our shelf.

So, do you have an Elf?

Then Momma, you move that elf proudly around your house at night and don’t let anyone shame you into believing you are doing Christmas wrong. And if you don’t have one, girl, I love you just as much.

‘Cause we all know this season is about Jesus.

And there is no guilt and shame in that.