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?

[DCIRozHuntley]

We've opted out of Santa assessing kids behaviour. I've already told him they've been good.

Honestly they could be little shits all December and there's no way they'd wake up to nothing. Linking presents to behaviour doesn't work for us; they get presents at Christmas because it's nice to receive presents (and give a few too, of course)

[puppymouse]

DD doesn't even know what it is I don't think. She's 6.

[Mulledwineinajug]

Everyone does things differently and we don’t do elf on the shelf. That’s what I tell mine! Children don’t actually think it’s real, surely.

There are sodding elves in every class at school though!!

[Alexapourmeadrink]

I have never taken an interest in the elf thing and so don't know what it's all about. Thankfully my kids are oblivious to it (they are autistic and not all mainstream fads have interested them). But if they did, I would soon tell them it's a load of rubbish. We don't need any new "traditions" - there's enough to cope with at this time of the year. How do we manage their behaviour the rest of the year? (From reading the above, I've learnt that it's a good behaviour incentive?).

[VanyaHargreeves]

Wasn't there a thread on here once were the OP had decided not to do Elf on The Shelf and the primary aged DC had said in school she didn't have one, and the TA bought her one and the OP was fuming?!

Both this and the Christmas Eve Box wankery belong the category/new era of Showboating For Social Media Parenting

[SecondTimeCharm]

I think the whole thing is ridiculous and DD has no idea it exists so I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it!

[Delinaret]

Just say Elf on Shelf is made up just like the Father Xmas you meet in shops/ school fair etc is not real. The only true FXmas isthe one who comes on Xmas eve.

[ContessaLovesTheSunshine]

My kids are 7 and 8 and they've only just noticed this in a friend's house. They asked why we couldn't have one and I said the kitten would maul it. I also pointed out the rack of them in The Range in hopes this would lessen the magic somewhat!

[VanyaHargreeves]

Also I think they make the fact that Father Christmas can't be real all the more obvious due to their ubiquitous presence for sale in shops.

One would expect a neurotypical, intelligent child to work out Father Christmas being a lie from his so called magical elf clearly being shop bought reasonably young

Far from "adding to the magic" it subtracts

[pasbeaucoupdegendarme]

We’ve never done it and they’ve never asked (dc 7, 4 and 8mo). We don’t do Father Christmas based on behaviour either, he comes whatever!!

I think they know different families do things differently. We do a shit load of church/choral stuff around Christmas which their friends never do, but they’ve never asked why we do that and friends don’t.

[Mintypea5]

We don't do it. My sons never asked but I'd just say don't forget mummy used to work for a team focused on surveillance target acquisition and reconnaissance... she doesn't need a creepy elf to report to Santa she can find him anywhere

[tomboytown]

Isn’t it just a bit of fun
I didn’t think they really believed it!?

[LadyGAgain]

DD is in year 1. We don't have an elf because quite frankly I do not have the time or inclination and she's never queried it so either it's not talked about at school or she's not bothered. Most likely the former A's she's super inquisitive so if she heard about it she would ask.

[IaIa3]

Mine have no clue about the elf, I guess the children in school don't talk about it.

[Zofloramummy]

I also remember the thread about the TA buying an elf. I thought it was bloody cheeky and massively overstepped.

I have 3!!! My bloody mother bought one last year for dd (7) I’d done so well avoiding it before then. She has bought another 2 this year. Mine are boring, they change the countdown to Christmas blocks and move where they are sitting.

A woman at work was telling me about her ‘friend’ apparently she is obsessed with the elf. It has eaten all of her kids advent chocolates, stolen Xmas, and wrapped up their dining room!! She has even booked annual leave to do ‘tricks’. The kids get really upset and cry but she won’t stop. Such effort to be cruel and all for for likes in insta and fb. Ridiculous

[elQuintoConyo]

This...

[Cookit]

@Zofloramummy what the hell. So the kids don’t even like it? I assume these hilarious pranks are being posted on Facebook or Instagram though?

[Jimdandy]

I’ve got a pound shop elf that just want he’s them and that’s it. They’ve not said anything else.

I don’t do Christmas Eve boxes either, they have asked about them and I’ve just said you get enough toys on Xmas day.

[CupCupGoose]

I've told mine that you have to ask santa to send one and I didn't want a naughty elf making a mess every day so I asked santa not to send one.

[Zofloramummy]

No the kids don’t like the elf, the mother makes it do ‘naughty’ things like eating all their chocolates and ruining things that matter to them and then they cry.

Yes it’s all done for Facebook and Instagram. I personally don’t know the woman but I think it’s sadistic!

[VenusClapTrap]

Kids know that things are different in different homes. They don’t question it. We don’t do stockings or turkey either; they’ve never questioned it. And I only buy pictorial advent calendars not chocolate ones; I did wonder if they would ask about that and ask for chocolate ones eventually, but no. In fact I once overheard dd saying to her friend “Picture ones are better because the pictures are nicer”.

[Blueuggboots]

We're not having one. I don't like them. Santa knows what you're up to because I let him know.
We have an elf cam (cost £2!) and use the app PNP.

[Heartofglass12345]

@Stockingfiller1 that is hilarious sorry to nobody because nobody cares 😂 I don't get why people put on fb about their kids parents evenings and school reports either but that's another thread lol

[taybert]

We don’t do it because I can’t be bothered. December is a long month for the kids, I just think this sort of thing winds them up even more. Also I am inept and lazy.

It never crossed my mind that children actually think the elves are really real and are actually doing those things though? It’s different with Father Christmas because he comes in the night and you can’t see him, but I’m pretty sure my kids would see the toys doing their thing and it would be obvious that it’s just a fun game. Because they’re obviously just toys and not something magical.

It’s easy to get very tied up with what you tell the kids at Christmas. I try to keep it vague and mention magic a lot. I’m not sure I could keep up with a complex web of lies. It would be very stressful!

[thatwouldbeanecumenicalmatter]

It's a load of competitive fb bollocks