Alright, this is an 'intense' question if you read the whole story. I am NOT trying to break into anybody's house but my own, it is a Christmas Tradition called "Bad Elves". If you know who I am, please don't post it online. This is my last Christmas until I go to college and I want us to win!!

Many years ago, my parents wanted to make sure that their young kids (my oldest brothers, there are nine of us and now only three living at home) didn't see their gifts until it was Christmas morning, so they put wrapping paper across the hallway to the living room of their apartment to wake them up. The deterrents have evolved from wrapping paper to a twin mattress on the door, to aluminum foil and 8 different security systems (once he even paid a family friend that was a retired cop to stay in our living room all Christmas night). He puts the alarms up at like 12pm and then goes to sleep.

The game "Bad Elves" has also evolved from peeking on presents to leaving a note downstairs that says "You've Been Had By The Bad Elves" (when Dad catches us he laughs like a maniac and says "You've Been Had!") and getting back in our rooms without setting off any of the alarms. If we don't set them off, we win and get bragging rights and get to do presents at 7am instead of 7:30am. and though we have won a few times, we lose more often then not.

We live in a two story house and have gone in through every possible window, door and vent, once even cut a hole in the floor, which was a serious problem... But the most memorable occasions have been when we pumped dry ice fog down a tube and lowered a little brother down the balcony of our stairs (which are always covered in tinfoil), rigging our window locks with parachute lines to unlock them from outside, using lego robots, under the door contraptions, and I remember wondering why the heck there was a hole in our ceiling.

The rules:

-No damage to the house.

-No damage to yourselves.

-The note needs to be in plain sight in the living room, on the Christmas tree, or on Dad's stocking.

He also adds " I rule, so you lose." Btw, Mom doesn't really participate, more like watches for entertainment, and sometimes spies for Dad.

We Bad Elves plan during the limited hours while they are off shopping. We have always joked about wrapping someone in a present and having them escape, this year, we are doing something similar to that and I am the one that will be hidden in a cramped space for 6 plus hours (high school right?).

Please don't comment negitively about my parents or our traditions, it has been a unique bonding activity and the greatest writing topic for my school career. :)

I want to know how to get past the motion detectors and lasers and trip wires and all of these systems. We have beige floors and walls, so I will be dressing to camouflage.

The alarms are set one night in one room, and that is the challenge.

Dad mentioned today that he is going to win " unless you seriously dehydrate yourselves..." Has anyone heard of something like this??

I wanted to post this mostly to share our awesome tradition, but also to hear some alarm sneaking secrets. Help? Only one day left!