The Caribbean: Sun, Sand and Elf Magic

Whether you missed my post last week mentioning that I was headed on a Caribbean vacation with my family or you saw it and were ready to pack your suitcase as well, here's an update:

It's stop-you-in-your-tracks beautiful here in Turks & Caicos.

As well as being simply gorgeous, we've been enjoying the huge number of activities, events, and entertaining locations that there are to do and visit here. From swimming in the glistening pools...

...to the stunning blue ocean and shriek-with-laughter water slides...

...to Big Sister E's shy happiness of visiting with all of the Sesame Street characters...

...there just hasn't been an end to the good times that we've had.

But as much as we had prepared the girls for the sun, sand and fun, there have still been a few surprises that have made their eyes open wide.

One has been the endless food available. I'm not looking forward to getting on the scale when we get home.

A second has been that we've opened the doors to our patio and found that we have special guests!

While we were having a perfectly good time visiting with Tripp and Same at home (read my first post about their arrival here), we had no idea the amount of entertainment that they could bring while on vacation.

We're never sure if they're going to be tucked under the covers in one of our beds or peeking out of a dresser drawer or hiding behind the curtains...

...but there they are! We've decided that Tripp and Sam are probably having a bit of a tough time adjusting to the heat, as we've found them more than once hanging out against the cool tiles in the bathroom...

...but their mischief (mixing up all of our shoes!) as well as good deeds (having cookies and milk all laid out for us) haven't gone unnoticed.

Although I wouldn't have originally thought that our vacation would have been made even better by our friendly little elf and reindeer friends, I have to admit that I'm glad that they came along for the visit. After all, with Christmas Eve rapidly approaching and Tripp and Sam getting ready to return to the North Pole to help Santa, it just means that we get to spend a little extra time with them.

Who knows? Once they're done helping the big guy deliver presents all over the world, they just might return here for a little R & R of their own. Something tells me that they're getting much more accustomed to the sun.

Have you started an Elf Magic tradition in your house this season? Santa could quickly send one of his boy or girl elves to visit and partake in plenty of wacky elfcapades to surprise and delight your family if you hurry! And then once they've visited, they'll be prepared to come back again next year and beyond!

Be sure to visit Elf-magic.com to find out more about this classic tradition (and read about many of the magical and mischievous adventures that elves have gotten into all over the world) and connect with them on Facebook and Twitter as well.

(Other than Tripp, Sam, and their accompaniments arriving by sleigh at our door, we were not provided anything or enticed to do this review in any way. This post is solely a recount of the joy and fun that Elf Magic can bring each holiday season.)