Elf on the Shelf creepy AF?

[shinynewusername]

I know this is a seasonal regular but WTF IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE WHO LIKE THE ELF ON THE SHELF?

Who wants their DC living under a regime of continuous silent monitoring? AIBU to think Santa's little Kim Il Sung must be a government conspiracy to desensitise the next generation to living in a surveillance society?

Where I live they do Santa as a weird delivers everything sort of thing. I grew up with Santa as delivering extra and usually a bit mad stuff. Makes the transition to a world without Santa because the mad unpredictable stuff still comes. It's just bought by me. I'm sure there are odd mix ups at school but dd gets pressies so that is her priority.

Creepy fucking Elf on the Shelf...

Jeremy Bentham could only dream of such ever present surveillance to engineer discipline and compliance.

Not sure, Sing. I don't threaten mine with Father Christmas or elves watching, so mine are just naughty all year round

It is creepy but I like looking on the internet at the naughty things it "gets up to". Strip poker with Barbie, shitting on biscuits (chocolate mini gems), grating a snowman and seeing white mini marshmallows next to the grater.

You know what's weirder than elf on a shelf? People making an entire cottage industry out of whinging about it. C'mon. You know you love it. The whinging is part of the game.

What is it? I keep seeing it on facebook this year and on here now but I have no idea what it is

We just had father xmas as far as I can remember - is it an american / regional thing that has got more popular?

It's an Elf that sits on the shelf making sure the children behave or no presents, or one that does all sorts of naughty things basically.

It's quite fascinating really.

Jeremy Bentham could only dream of such ever present surveillance to engineer discipline and compliance.

the Santopticon?

Jeremy Bentham could only dream of such ever present surveillance to engineer discipline and compliance.

I've linked to it before on MN, but - Foucault's take on the creepy elves:

Cancelly that's brilliant

Creepy as fuck. Also how's it ok to tell your kids to behave while the elf is up to all sorts of naughty stuff??
And monitoring the kids behavior, wtf big brother! surveillance cameras next!

I dont know anyone that uses it as a threat lol. Its a bit of fun to make their kids smile.

Creepy little fucker.
Thank goodness this wasn't a thing when my dc were small and even if it had been, there's no way this creepy weird fucker and its equally mad 'antics' would have made its way into my house. Likewise, I find the Christmas eve box/pyjama thing just too twee and ridiculous for words. Why can't young dc enjoy the magical expectation of Christmas morning any more without being given a box full of stuff on Christmas eve?
When my dc were small, the magic was leaving the mince pie and the carrot out for Santa and the expectation that when they woke up, Santa would have been. All this without the Christmas eve pyjamas /box full of stuff that appears to be the norm these days

Ah thanks sparkling. All very strange!

I assume you don't do Santa then op? 'He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows if you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good...' Then he breaks into your house and comes into your room while you're sleeping and puts stuff in a stocking on your bed. Nothing creepy about that at all. Or the many years for which kids were expected to sit on his knee. I've never used Santa as a behaviour management tool and I don't use the elf for it either.

Santa never went into our childrens' rooms when they were little. All presents were left in the living room. Was I doing that all wrong too?

My sons reception class have their very own elf on the shelf