After losing her son due to complications following a premature birth, this grieving mum came up with the idea of introducing an elf on the shelf for him to bring some joy to the family this Christmas.
Emberly Wadsworth wanted to make sure her daughter Gracie felt close to her brother throughout the holidays.
The mum decided to give her a second elf on the shelf along with her own, followed by a letter explaining that it was for her brother in heaven.
Being just three when her brother died, Emberly told her that her daughter didn’t understand exactly what was going on but still missed her brother just the same.
The family from Pocatello, Idaho, USA, believed the festive idea would be a good way to help her process the grief.
They told how they would have had two elves if baby Tatum was still alive so losing him was no excuse to forget about it.
Emberly said: “The idea came when I was walking the halls of a grocery store, of all places, and I came across the elf on the shelf for sale.
“I thought to myself, we could have two elves right now if Tatum were here and then I had a lightbulb moment where I thought why not still have two and make it special for Gracie.
“Tatum’s elf will come to visit Gracie. Which honestly has turned out to be one of my best ideas for this holiday season.”
Emberly told how Tatum passed away at around seven months old after he was born premature and quickly developed a chronic lung disease leading to him spending his life in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit).
Although he fought his way through illness, Tatum faced more complications such as fluid on the brain which eventually meant he wasn’t able to cope anymore.
As Gracie was just a toddler when she lost her brother, her parents tried to explain it as best as they could and have made it easier for her by saying he is still with her, and she will be able to play with him again someday.
The mum told how Gracie’s spirit has helped her through this time, with her even making up a song dedicated to Tatum.
Emberly explained that the idea behind the elf was for it to visit Gracie in place of her brother, with the first day of the elf’s visit being introduced through a letter read out by her dad, John.
The family has expressed how much comfort this fun idea has brought them and hopes that families in similar situations can find some comfort in it too.
Emberly said: “In those last moments with my sweet boy I watched him finally find comfort. It was the hardest act of love I have ever experienced in my life.
“Losing a loved one at a young age is an interesting road to navigate. Gracie cried and said, ‘But I don’t want him to die I want him to stay here and play with me’.
“We got her a reborn baby doll that looks similar to Tatum, and she plays with that baby doll every day! She even named the baby doll Tatum.”
She added: “Gracie is a wonderful little girl. She has comforted me more times than I can count with this grief.
“My children are wonderful examples of strength.
“The day she sang that video I just got home from work.
“I was not expecting this song from her to be about her missing her brother but it did remind me to continue aiding her in her grief.”
Gracie’s song led to ideas such as the elf to help her process her grief and Emberly added that she was so excited about having two elves and loved to chat to them.
She said: “I love seeing her so excited and feel so special about this. Not every kid gets two elves!”
“I also love the closeness to Tatum we feel in our home because an extra elf has joined the home.
“It has created a beautiful reminder of our sweet boy, and we all love it!
With many viewers touched by the idea, Emberly was left blown away by the kind words and support their family received.
Emberly said: “The best part to me is the community of people who are in a similar situation as us and they want to bring the same idea into their own home.
“I like to imagine the comfort this idea brought us in homes of others.”