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?

[Whathappenedtothelego]

Mine have asked, as apparently "everyone else" in the class has one.
I just said I don't like them because they are naughty, and didn't want one. So we don't have one.

There are plenty of things we don't have/do because I don't want to, whereas other people do - all-inclusive holidays; owning a dog; windsurfing... the list is endless.

I don't need to concoct some story about it.

[56Marshmallow]

My kids are heavily in to Santa but have never once mentioned Elf on the Shelf to me.

If they did, I'd say it's for the really naughty children or those that need to extra cheer.

[UndomesticHousewife]

My youngest is 12 and by the time I'd even heard of EOTS he was too old for it all. No idea if it was around in the early 2000s when my other dc were small as there wasn't much social media if any

[UndomesticHousewife]

Thankfully I was past that stage as quite frankly I have better things to do than arrange elf antics every night

[thatmustbenigelwiththebrie]

Just tell her he's made up and you don't do it.

[Weekday28]

Mine have asked about it as they seem to be the only ones without one. I've said that because we have a fairy on top of our tree we dont need one. Also our fairy tells santa when they have done something kind. None of this naughty crap that seems to be linked with the elves.

[Juliette20]

I never did Elf on a Shelf and DDs had never heard of it. Why would they have? There is only one person on my Facebook doing it this year. It isn't obligatory.

[Rockbird]

We have elves, because dd2, now 7, saw them for sale in Tescos and wanted them. She plays with them like dolls and that's it. Her best friends family do the whole shebag but she's never asked about it. She probably knows I couldn't be arsed. DD1 is 11 and couldn't care less

[Cookit]

I wonder what age people start to do it because most of my friends have children around the 3-4 age and not a single one has ever mentioned it.

I will never be doing it. Partially because I like to do Christmas things that I and DH did when we were young and also when our parents were young etc etc and I hate the new traditions that pop up like Christmas Eve boxes and EOTS. We do loads over Christmas but less materialistic.

I saw someone selling an elf on the shelf prop kit on Facebook the other day. So much plastic rubbish.

[User24689]

DD is 4 and mentioned this the other day. I said that some families have the elves and some dont.

To be honest I don't like anything that makes more of an elaborate 'lie' out of the father Christmas thing, we usually say nothing much about that side of Christmas because I feel that it will then be easier when they find out it isn't real.

We also don't tell them that father Christmas only comes if you're good which i think is the whole premise of it.

To be honest DD is quite sensitive and I think the idea of an elf in the house watching her behaviour would creep her out. And fair enough! 🤣

[UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername]

How comes, if the elves are there to make sure the kids are being nice, they're all so fecking naughty? They're not exactly leading be example. I'm sure Santa would be ashamed of them.

[Yestermost]

My 9 year old and teens have never mentioned them little fucker.

[HelenaJustina]

We don’t do that in our family, is enough here.
DC6 described the one in her classroom as creepy!
But we don’t do Father Christmas either so easy to avoid associated stuff.

[lilsquish]

ughhh I can't stand elf on the shelf.
and the folk on my social media who post a daily update on it!!!!

i don't really get it, i understand that the elfs are supposed to watch the children to make sure they behave, but why are the elfs being naughty? what's the idea behind that??

[Longtalljosie]

What we’ve never done is the “have you been good enough for Santa” shit. It’s unpleasant. I frequently have to reassure DD2 that I have never ever heard of a child too naughty for presents at Christmas so she has nothing to worry about

[SquashedOrange]

My two are 5&7 and this is the first year we've done it. I've never been a fan, but DD really wanted one and it's the kids' Christmas too so decided to give it ago!

However... we've never mentioned anything about being sent by Santa to check they are being good. We don't even talk about FC only bringing gifts to good children.

They also know we bought them in Tesco and that it's just a bit of fun, my kids aren't daft.

[Mrsemcgregor]

They probably won’t ever bring it up, it’s never talked about in school as far as I can tell. My kids have never once mentioned a friends elf.

But whatever you do please please don’t throw other kids under the bus. Don’t say “well Lily is so naughty she needs an elf spy” how bloody horrible is that. The people suggesting that tactic should be ashamed.

[trilbydoll]

The kids know that I fill the advent calendars, that the FC in shopping centres is a man dressed up (real one is way too busy) and I don't have the creativity to sort a naughty elf out every day. Once they're at school they can cope with some harsh realities without ruining the magic of Christmas

[IHateBlueLights]

Tell her it's made up American nonsense.

[Smurf123]

Santa only sends them to some houses as he needs to make sure he still has enough elves in the north pole to make the presents.

[IceCreamAndCandyfloss]

I’d tell them the truth, it’s a made up game that some houses play.

[Heatherjayne1972]

It’s a fairly new thing- imo its a ‘thing for the social media age’
Fortunately my kids are too old for this nonsense
They survived Christmas many times without an elf grassing them up to Santa

[Elbeagle]

I don’t think most kids think they’re actually real do they?
Mine are 6 and 4 and we don’t do it. They have one in their classroom but they know it’s not real and is just a bit of fun... they’ve seen them sold in various places so I’d think they lacked critical thinking skills if they thought it was real .

[GothMummy]

No one in real life that I know does this elf thing, my kids have no idea about it.

[dustyphoenix]

We don't do Father Christmas or Elf on the shelf, and really my kids have no idea about the latter. If they ever ask about differences in how we celebrate, I just talk about how every family is different and does different things with their time and money.