Chip.
The power this little guy holds over our household is too much of a crack up not to share. Chip is an elf that comes to visit us on the first of December and departs on Christmas morning. Chip is Santa's eyes and ears. He reports what he sees in our home, what the kids are doing (and not doing), the status of their rooms, what voices they are using with each other and to their mom and dad. Each night he flies back to the North Pole to report to Santa and returns every morning to a new "observation point" in our home. The kids anxiously awake each morning and run around each room in giddy anticipation trying to find his new hiding spot. Chip's magic over our household is what I love the most. Witness his magic:
Chip is dangling in the chandelier over the kitchen table, Lance exclaims, "I really appreciate this dinner you made for us mom!! Even though I don't care for it I will eat my whole plate up anyway!"
Magic: Eva comes home from school and has to rush upstairs to her room proclaiming in a loud voice for "everyone" to hear, "I must keep my room clean and care for all my toys because I am grateful for them!"
Magic: I am in the kitchen when someone appears and asks if they can empty the dishwasher. Chip, of course, happened to be in the kitchen that day.
If, on the rare occasion, someone forgets about our little guest and starts saying something rude to me, I simply call out for Chip and the behavior is immediately reversed with a little look of panic on their face.
You cannot touch Chip, this makes his magic disappear. You can leave him notes to take to Santa that night, and sometimes Chip will even have a letter tucked under his arm for you -- written in miniature 1 point elf font that you need a magnifying glass to read, of course.
No other house guest, be it grandma, a favorite uncle or beloved babysitter has ever had as much of an influence over our home as one 6 inch elf.