Little girl gets big surprise during a tearful goodbye to her 'Elf on the Shelf'
Lily Christiana, 4, of Connecticut, shed some tears when her "Elf on the Shelf" was returning to the North Pole after Christmas, but Santa let her give the elf a "one-time hug" as a parting gift.
When 4-year-old Lily Christiana met her elf, Crackles, for the first time this Christmas season, she instantly loved him and his nightly antics.
So when Lily found out Crackles would be leaving on Christmas Day to return to the North Pole, she was "heartbroken," her mom Brittany Christiana told Fox News Digital.
"I thought, 'Are we going to have to go through this every year?' This is the worst part of Christmas," the mom of two from Granby, Connecticut, said.
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But, it seemed that Santa had a plan for Lily, who became very attached to her elf.
Lily Christiana, 4, was surprised with one final gift before her "Elf on the Shelf" returned to the North Pole. (Brittany Christiana)
Christiana got an idea to have Crackles deliver the good news that he and Lily would be allowed to have a one-time, goodbye hug (See the video at the top of this article).
"Lily was so gentle," Christiana said.
"She approached Crackles so slowly."
In the book, "The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition," written by Carol V. Aerbersold and Chanda A. Bell, it's explained that "The Elf on the Shelf" must never be touched or else he or she will lose magic.
"There's only one rule that you have to follow so I will come back and be here tomorrow: Please do not touch me. My magic might go, and Santa won't hear all I've seen or I know," the book says.
"I won't get to tell him that you've said your prayers, or helped to bake cookies, or cleaned off the stairs."
"How will he know how good you have been? He might start to think you forgot about him."
Crackle, the Christiana family's "Elf on the Shelf," wrote to Lily telling her about a "one-time hug" offer from Santa Claus. (Brittany Christiana)
Christiana said that she came up with the idea of writing the letter to Lily after seeing a similar idea online.
"Today only – You can hold me snug. Don't forget to give me a hug!" the letter, which was signed by Crackles the elf said.
"Next year I'll be back in the blink of an eye, so be good and keep your eye on the sky," the note concluded.
The one-time hug appeared to make Lily happy and once their embrace was complete, Lily put Crackles back on the tree and was "completely fine," Christiana said.
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"We were out of the room but could hear her talking to the elf," Christiana added, referring to her daughter. "She said, ‘Thank you so much Crackles, I love you. I am going to bring you so much chocolate.’"
The video of Lily Christiana giving her elf a final farewell has gone viral with over 8 million views on Instagram. (Brittany Christiana)
The video of Lily hugging Crackles has been viewed more than 8 million times on Instagram.
It was even spotted by the big guy himself, who sent Lily a video.
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Santa Claus, @santa_j_claus on Instagram, gave Crackles a promotion to the toy design department and looks forward to returning to the Christiana family next Christmas.
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