It had been dark for a long time . . . a gloom that wasn't scary, but fun. Why web hosting? Because it was Christmas Eve when I was 7 or 8, and I knew Santa was coming that night, probably right after I closed my eyes.

I was in the bottom bunk; my older sister was the lucky one above. But I had something she didn't: three wooden support slats that were like narrow, if precarious, shelves above my head, just perfect for the latest Nancy Drew mystery, a flashlight for illegal after-bedtime reading and just "stuff. vps hosting"

On Christmas Eve, it was there I always perched my favorite Christmas companion: a 6-inch-tall, floppy elf with gangly legs, permanently clasped hands and a red-felt suit.

I still see him on the slat, grinning down at me, his legs tucked inside his arms. It is an abidingly cozy holiday memory dedicated server.

I don't know what happened to my elf, lost to the ebb and flow of growing up and moving out. But I was delighted to see an updated version of him last year in "Elf on the Shelf," a toy with an accompanying storybook by Carol V. Aebersold. It brought back many memories. The elf's back story was an addition, created only a few years ago, and told me that my floppy companion was really one of Santa's special helpers, sent out to do daily "been bad or good" reports domain registration.