S’more to Teach

S’more to Teach

Hello, all my Christmas loving friends! Sorry for the delay in posting! Things are crazy right now in the store, but I bet things feel pretty crazy right now for EVERYONE going back to school. That’s why I’ve got s’more to teach about a stress-free school year.

First off…

First off, I know nothing about teaching. Second of all, I ain’t ever been a parent for school age kids. Third, elf education is not nearly as stressful as human education. I mean, we learn about microprocessors, not P.E., whatever that is. So, feel free to take or leave my tips below.

Tips for a stress-free school year:

1. Read the Bible and pray – Don’t scoff. Jesus is called the Prince of Peace for a reason.
2. Get more sleep – We elves do swell on a solid 40 minutes, but you humans need a lot s’more. Mrs. C. recently learned that the average adult got 10 hours of sleep per night before the invention of the lightbulb. Tricks to getting s’more sleep:
   • Turn off anything with lights. Lack of light sure worked before the invention of the light bulb.
   • Try a weighted blanket. Mrs. C. recently discovered the glories of a weighted blanket, and now she falls asleep in minutes. It doesn’t work for everyone, though. Mr. C. sleeps horribly with one, and one elf had nightmares that Buddy had fainted on top of her, and she was trying to fight him off.
   • Don’t eat or drink sugar or caffeine so late in the day.
   • End your day with a gratitude prayer. That’s why my favorite star of the silver screen, Bing Crosby, sang “Count your blessings, instead of sheep.” Seriously, just start listing all the things you are grateful for and see how fast you fall asleep.
   • Don’t stress about not getting enough sleep! Scientists have found out that just laying down in the dark is almost as good as being asleep.
3. Eat healthy – We elves always try to stick to the four food groups – candy, candy canes, candy corn, and SUGAR. Try making small tweaks to eat healthier. You can still treat yourself, but healthy food equals healthy brain equals lower stress. Healthier food is:
   • Grown or raised in a healthy way and close to where you live.
   • Made of recognizable ingredients. If you can’t pronounce the ingredients, it’s probably not healthy.
   • Mostly from plants.
   • Full of variety.
   • Smaller. So, pay attention to portion sizes.
   • Fun. So, eat with family and friends.
4. Take a walk – it’s supposed to lower something called blood pressure. There are these things called blue zones, areas where people live over 100 years old without Christmas magic. The main thing the blue zone people have in common is that they walk to get places.
5. Do the thing – You know, the thing. Whatever needs doing, do it. I’m talking buying school supplies, homework, chores, paperwork, our job, walk the dog, whatever. We can think about our to do list and procrastinate and distract ourselves with entertainment all day long. Literally. But the weight of that to do list just makes for more stress. So, like Nike, just do it. I recommend starting with the easiest, quickest, or most urgent thing first. Feel proud of what you can accomplish in one day and know that the next things on the list can be done tomorrow.
6. Do the RIGHT thing – The weight of knowing that you might be on Santa’s naughty list is stressful. So, save yourself the worry, by choosing the right thing from the get-go, even if it’s hard. Be gentle. Tell the truth. Be generous and giving, not greedy. Only speak (or post) kind words. You know what poisons you lean toward. Avoid them. It may take some practice, but God can help you if you ask him. You will feel better in the long run.
7. Phone a friend – Or a therapist. My point is that everyone needs someone to talk to, like a Papa Elf, someone older and wiser who can give good advice.
8. Don’t stress about this list! Maybe just pick one thing you want to get better at. If the list makes you more stressed, it’s not worth it.

And, most importantly… LOVE!

Show the LOVE to teachers, students, parents, strangers, and yourself! Some other scientists have discovered that acts of kindness increase feelings of wellbeing in the givers and the getters.

So, show some love. Might I recommend a small gift from our store??? 😀 We have lots of items big and small to put a smile on someone’s face. Here’s a preview of some of our favorite gifts for teachers:

Or…. do what we’re doing! Bake and give cookies. We’ve been giving out cookies on the weekend just to make everyone smile. Last weekend, Mrs. C. whipped up a batch of Buttery Coconut Cookie Bars. They were a hit, but they are very sweet. So, we cut them pretty small.

This weekend is tax free weekend, and while we don’t have a lot of items that qualify as tax free, we do have cookieeeeez. To save time (and stress) this weekend, we just bought some from HEB. ;-*

S’more Updates!

Here’s what’s been happening in store that you may have missed.

S’more Elf has a secret to share… the secret behind elf on the shelf magic!

Your elf on the shelf has a top secret skill to help him get his job done (and help him reach the candy canes).

For more tips on going back to school, visit our blog from last year:

S’more School Prep – The Christmas Shoppe (thechristmasshoppetx.com)

Most importantly, we hope you “Celebrate Always” (I Thessalonians 5:16) this school year!

LOVE FROM,

S’MORE

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