To be the only person I know without an Elf on a Shelf

[amysmum18]

Looking through my Facebook newsfeed over the last couple of days, I seem to be the only person I know that hasn't got an Elf on a Shelf.

My two little ones (5 and 3) have got a cloth advent calendar that we pop a couple of biscuits in every day 'from Father Christmas' if they have been good and that's it. Everyone else I know seem to be spending every night putting their Elves in elaborate and amusing situations for their children to find the next day. Between working, organising everything at home, looking after the kids (and the husband) and trying to get sorted for Christmas, I barely have time to think straight, let alone spend my time hiding an elf around the house!

Is it just me that doesn't feel the need to get an Elf on a Shelf or am I just being grumpy! ;-)

It seems like everyone on my FB with children under the age of about 9 has one if the creepy little fuckers.

I'm glad DS is too old for one.

Glad mine are too old for that _ I think they look really scary!

You're not alone! No elf on a shelf here.. DCs 5 & 1 yrs. Quite simply because I don't have the time or imagination to do it every blinking day through to Christmas. They have advent calendars and that's their lot til Christmas. Not had any complaints yet!

It seems super popular on MN, but not in my RL. We don't have one and I don't know anybody who does. Never seen an ad for it, either. I thought it's one of those MN myths like the 12 meal chicken..

They're creepy. DS used to have nightmares about toys coming to life while he slept so that elf would be rather counter-productive for us.

They do now come in a range of tacky fabrics though, available on a facebay tat-tastic group near you!

Obviously you don't know me, but I don't have one .

DD (almost 18, with sn and an obsession with Father Christmas) would implode if I cranked Christmas preparations up any further.

I am.so with you OP. DD wants one because several of her friends at school do but it was just not on my radar at.all until yesterday when my facebook feed.started to fill up on them.

To me, it iijusts just another American import designed to extract more money out of people by creating a fake tradition and add one more task to the Christmas to do list and I am loathe to get dragged in. Do feel a bit bah humbug though.

They are bloody creepy as you say.

Lots of parents on my FB have them though...

I don't even know what they are! It's completely passed me by.

We had one for the last two years - he's still in the cupboard this year. He might come out two weeks before Xmas but I cannot be bothered for the whole of December!

It's not for us either! Although my DM does the most elaborate advent calendar ever, so they're not missing out!

(We don't do Christmas Eve boxes either)

My DD 9 came home from school yesterday saying lots of her friends had elves or fairies visiting their house.

I cba there is more than enough Christmas magic in our house. Starting with the minions chocolate advent calendar which will suffice until mid-Dec when the tree will go up.
I absolutely love Christmas but I really dislike the over extendedness of the season and the need to ramp it up a notch every year.
But whatever works for others...I do like seeing how inventive people are, good on them .

No elf here either.
I just couldn't be arsed to add yet another pointless thing to my to-do list

I don't know anyone in RL that has one. The more I read about it the more I become.

4DC and no elves here!

Nah, me neither. Mine behave ok. So I cba!

We don't have one either (oldest DC is 5), but there's a fair amount of elves on shelves on my FB feed.

Including one at DS2's nursery.

I don't really understand what they are, but I'm too embarrassed to ask Irl now! Are they supposed to be keeping an eye on kids for Santa?

My son is 2.5. I don't have one and won't get one. I don't like the idea of them. I won't be telling him that there is something in our house permanently watching and judging him.
Plus it looks like a real ball ache.

I'm with you! I do love the build up to Christmas but I just cba to do new things every night.

We just do the pyjamas and books from the elves on Christmas eve. Much easier.

I'd never heard of it until reading a couple of threads this morning and no, it's not something we'll be taking up. Dd has a truck with little drawers in, with a chocolate for each day and a traditional picture window advent calendar. That's plenty imo.

I'd like her to be well behaved in the run up to Christmas because she wants to be, not because she thinks some creepy little toy will tell santa if she puts a foot wrong.

Don't have it here, we have a 5 year old and 18 month old. I enjoy Christmas but couldn't be bothered picking up this new 'tradition'.

I tried it one year waste of time and he ended up lost.

I thought they just sat on the shelf checking for naughty children. But then it seems the Elf is really badly behaved itself.

We don't have one although DS is still quite young for it I think. Its just more 'stuff' to do and I think the whole thing puts pressure on parents to be imaginative and creative, when most of us work and simply don't have the time (or can't be arsed in my case...)