People with young DC who don't do Elf on the Shelf- what do you tell them?

[TheCraicDealer]

DD is only ten weeks old so we're a while off this being an issue, but I'm genuinely curious.

Most of the parents on my social media seem to do this Elf on the Shelf shite and I just can. Not. Be. Bothered. I can get on board with Santa sneaking into the house to leave presents by ~MaGiC~, but I don't want DD thinking we have security issues with repeated breaches

Anyway because it now seems to have become such a thing I'm a bit worried that once she gets to childcare/nursery/school she'll ask me why the elves don't come to our house. I'm shit at thinking on my feet so I need to have a response sorted to spring out when the question comes. So if you've been asked what did you tell them?

[Paddingtonthebear]

The elf only comes to the houses of naughty children

[ShallICompareTheeToASummersDay]

Because mummy’s got enough shit to do without adding in a creepy elf on the shelf. But dd was 8 when she asked last year so knew it wasn’t real.

Sorry not much help!

[BathshebaKnickerStickers]

“We don’t do that in our family”

[TerribleCustomerCervix]

I already have Santa’s phone number so he doesn’t need to send the elf to keep an eye on their behaviour!

[LoisLittsLover]

Dd is 5 and never asked- she knows her friends have elves. If she does ask i'll just tell her that father Christmas only sends them to children who really need them, either to cheer them up or to help them remember to be good

[Mumoftwoyoungkids]

The elf goes to the houses of children who they still have to decide if they are going to get presents or not.

[Polkadotdelight]

DS is 5 but has no idea what it's all about. He is too young for social media and I'm guessing none of his school friends are talking about it. Like a previous poster though, if asked I will just say that we don't need an elf because he is such a a good boy.

[Wigeon]

I don’t think my DC (11 and 8) have any idea who of their friends have the Elf. They’ve never ever asked. If they did I’d probably say something about different families having different traditions around Christmas. But then we’ve never been that big into making a massive deal of “the magic of Christmas” or magical Father Christmas...

[Allegorical]

We have one but he just changes position. He doesn’t do anything particularly exciting. Sometimes he goes back to the same spot coz it was comfy. Sometimes he is there three days in a row coz it’s his fave spot.

[FthisS]

We do the elf, but if you get the official book set (there's also a good dvd) it is nothing like what people do with naughty elf things. The elf is purely sent by father christmas, you read the book with them and it's a very nice tradition (and bloody easy compared to this shit with ketchup and toilet rolls).

[ItsChristmaaaaaaaaas]

It’s only been going since 2004 so hardly a tradition! I was only aware of it when DS was little - so late 2000s.

You can always say the elf is invisible or hiding. Or get an elf (but they really are more trouble than they are worth for anyone without time on their hands!)

[YourOpinionIsNoted]

Urgh I'm worrying about this too. DD is five and while it wasn't mentioned last year, she was telling me about the naughty elf who is in her friend's house this week.

I was thinking of something like "Santa only sends elves to keep watch on children who might end up on the naughty list, maybe this means your on the good list" but is that going to get reported back to her friends at school? Nightmare! Bloody elf!

[ItsChristmaaaaaaaaas]

We never had the Easter bunny either!

[YouCantBeSadHoldingACupcake]

Santa will only send them to houses if the parents agree. I have enough to clear up without a naughty elf making more mess, so wouldn't let santa send one

[Winifredgoose]

I only know one family who does this. My children are well into primary school now and have never asked me about it, so I assume it is not actually a big thing. Ditto Christmas eve boxes.

[Paddingtonthebear]

If you want to be really blunt you can just say the other kids parents bought the elf and move it about 😂

[RunningNinja79]

Have never been asked, though my DCs do know what it is. Im not sure what they thought when they were younger (youngest is 8 so still fairly young)

They're creepy little things and I really dont get it.

[drspouse]

I don't think mine even know it's a thing (Y3 and Y1).

[zonkin]

I have 4 kids ranging from under 6 to teenage. The teenager thinks the whole concept is weird (having an elf checking on your behaviour or being the elf being "naughty" and playing tricks and that the whole thing is some marketing gimmick) and the other 3 have never mentioned it.

Not having an EOTS has not impacted their enjoyment of the run up to Christmas. For them it's decorating the Xmas tree, being allowed to play naff Xmas songs, watching Xmas films, and going to the panto. However, there would be uproar if we didn't watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation at least once in December.

[BertieBotts]

It's a non issue. They don't ask about it.

[Longfacenow]

Every family is different.

Some kids are allowed to touch the Elf! Some ger presents from it! So much faff.

[DelurkingAJ]

DS1’s class teachers have asked them about it the last two years. DS1 is a realist and I’ve just said ‘it’s a bit of fun in some families, darling’.

[Carnabie]

We just said the mum and dad have to tell Father Christmas if they want one and we didn’t

[mogtheexcellent]

Dd has never asked and if she did I would still find an excuse not to do it. They have a creepy feckin elf in her classroom though.

I have the number for santas workshop aka my brother. Much more effective at keeping DD on the nice list.

[TerribleCustomerCervix]

It’s only been going since 2004 so hardly a tradition!

I saw the elf for sale in a shop earlier today- on the box it said “A Christmas Tradition” which is a fucking laugh. Christmas traditions in the late 90s were thumbing the Argos catalogue 9 million times wondering what Santa was going to bring you, or watching The Snowman on bbc1 for the umpteenth time on Christmas Eve.