Blame it on the Elves

Christmas morning is always full of surprises, and this one was no exception. Wilson ran down into our room at about 6:15 am shouting, "Santa came and he left me a trampoline, just like I wanted!" It was still dark at that moment, and I (Brett) thought to myself, "He might be singing a different tune by the light of dawn."

When the sun rose, this is what Wil and Maisy saw:


I blamed it on the elves. The story goes like this. The elves were putting the trampoline together late on a chilly Christmas Eve. They followed the assembly instructions EXACTLY, and things were going really well. As they moved the completed trampoline to a different spot in the yard, the tension of the springs folded the metal like an accordion.


Santa left a note for the kids right next to the crumbs of recently devoured Christmas cookies. He explained that the eggnog-addled elves had messed up the trampoline, and that it would be fixed soon. The kids were understanding and supportive, and are patiently awaiting for Santa to fulfill his repair promise.


When I called the workshop at the North Pole (AKA Bouncepro), the lady asked me, "Well, did you try to put it together in cold weather?" When I replied in the affirmative, she casually let me know that "our products were made for warm-weather assembly. That's why the metal bent." Apparently I should have waited until June or July to assemble my children's Christmas present.

And so we learn two lessons from the Christmas morning surprise:

1. Be sure to check the temperature, humidity, dew point, and ozone levels before assembling a Bouncepro product.

2. When something goes wrong, blame it on the elves.