Norco resident Colton Curlee is normally shy in front of people he doesn’t know, but that goes all out of the window when he’s in the window and dressed as a scout elf.
Michelle Curlee said it all started when she and her 9-year-old son were at their neighbor Valerie Halbrook’s house.
“One day I was sitting at Valerie’s house and she and Colton were in the other room and she came in and said, ‘Oh my gosh, he just scared me to death … he was acting like an elf,’” Michelle said.
The incident gave the friends an idea. Michelle found an outfit and Valerie got the hat and fashioned a neck piece.
“We have such an awesome community in Norco, and we were so upset that we don’t have the Christmas parade this year, that we thought it would be fun for Colton to dress like an elf and perform in the window,” Michelle said.
The duo wasn’t sure how comfortable Colton would be with performing, but she said once he saw how much joy it brought other kids there was no stopping his dancing, waving and elf antics.
“He’s so good with dancing,” Michelle said. “He just puts on a show and waves and dances. It’s really been awesome.”
Michelle said several of Colton’s classmates at Norco Elementary have talked about the dancing elf to him, but that he’s dead set on keeping the magic of the animated elf alive for everyone.
“It’s just something to bring smiles to these kids’ faces,” Michelle said. “The funny thing is that the kids in the neighborhood and the kids in the class with him every day have no clue it is him. In church they were talking about giving, and he told me, ‘Mom, I’m giving my time and I’m making kids happy.’ That has brought him a lot of joy and has actually started to get him out of his shell.”
Colton’s final elf performance will happen Dec. 21 from 6 – 7 p.m. at Valerie’s house on Honeysuckle Drive in Norco’s Highland Estates.
Michelle said the plan is for him to be joined by a girl elf and Santa.
“It’s something he loves to do, and he sees he is making these kids smile and its really just fills his heart,” Michelle said. “Some cars came around 10 times to see him and the parents told me, ‘This was the best gallon of gas I ever used.’ It’s really been a joy to see the faces of these kids. It’s really been cool.”
Colton said it’s easy to pinpoint what his favorite thing about performing as the elf is.
“It’s making children happy,” he said.
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