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AIBU?

Elf on the shelf is shit, isn’t it?

234 replies

MustardScreams · 04/11/2019 20:11

I’m being ridiculed at work for not doing this for dd. Apparently I’m ‘ruining the magic of christmas’ Hmm

It’s ridiculous though! Who has the time and energy to think up bonkers things to do with an elf for 25 frigging days?! Surely the magic of presents and Santa is enough ffs. Also it’s just playing into commercialism blah blah rant rant rant.

OP posts:
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MrsTerryPratchett · 05/11/2019 00:57

don't pretend that kids don't really enjoy it, that it's actually anymore than one minute of effort per day or that it's weird.

All wifework or in this case mumwork is like this. 'Takes a minute' 'why not'. I work very hard, full time and have a thousand things I could do with that one minute and the head space that goes with it. Fuck the creepy grass.

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Durgasarrow · 05/11/2019 01:11

This came along after my kids were of age and I totally do not get it

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tallpoppies · 05/11/2019 01:12

IMBVU here but elf on the shelf gives me the fucking rage every year! Do it if you must and if you enjoy it but please don’t subject every one in your social media to twice daily updates including photos of the smug little bastard elf when you hide and pose it the night before, together with letters and presents and then pictures of your kids each morning with their present for the day. We are not interested!!!!!! Additionally, little children just do not understand why some of their friends have the elf and a daily present while they don’t, creating pressure on parents who don’t have the money to participate when Christmas is already a massive financial burden for some. One child in my son’s class last year got a Nintendo switch as one of the presents and it all seems to be about presenting yourself as the perfect instagram family. Yuck

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WagtailRobin · 05/11/2019 01:24

I don't have kids but none of my siblings do it for their children. Christmas is still very much magical and exciting for all of my nieces and nephews, just as it was amazing for us as children before the "Elf on the Shelf" fad.

If people want to do it, great, if people don't then that's fine too; Christmas joy has existed long before commercialism and social media showing-off became trendy.

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Rubyupbeat · 05/11/2019 01:28

We did the same with the fairy on the tree, as did my mum with me, and her mum with her.
Fairy was often caught in the morning after a night of partying with noddy and panda. Or sitting on the bedside table after a night of sickness.
My boys are early 30s now and still remember wild, kind fairy.
As with everything nowadays, it's so commercialised and competitive, compared to innocent fun many years ago.

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Monkeynuts18 · 05/11/2019 05:25

I don’t get why the elf gets to be naughty while spying on the kids to stop them bring naughty.

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Monkeynuts18 · 05/11/2019 05:28

Do it if you must and if you enjoy it but please don’t subject every one in your social media to twice daily updates including photos of the smug little bastard elf when you hide and pose it the night before, together with letters and presents and then pictures of your kids each morning with their present for the day.

What? What? Present for the day? Elf on the shelf is one thing but do people really give their children DAILY presents?!!

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SteelRiver · 05/11/2019 06:25

I dont even know what elf on the shelf is. Blush

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RoxytheRexy · 05/11/2019 06:49

My DD is frightened of Santa. Fingers crossed this extends to Elves

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Milkstick · 05/11/2019 06:52

Aw HoneyandSpice I used to love Fenwicks window when I was a student!

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LaurieMarlow · 05/11/2019 07:23

Additionally, little children just do not understand why some of their friends have the elf ... while they don’t, creating pressure on parents who don’t have the money to participate

I have worked out how much EOTS costs me, per child per year (assuming they’ll be into it for about five years) and the answer is 50 cent.

For about the millionth time, the ‘consumerist’ objections dont make sense.

And while I’ve heard this objection to the elf on here before, it doesn’t seem to apply to other (actually expensive) things.

I’ve never heard ppl being told to forgo holidays because little children whose parents can’t afford them don’t understand why they don’t get them.

There’s a lot of inequality in the world, sadly. Me doing EOTS is neither here nor there.

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user1483387154 · 05/11/2019 07:31

I hate the bloody thing and it wont be making an appearance in my house

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NearlyGranny · 05/11/2019 07:33

You can read stories instead or as well, it's your call, no judgement or assumption involved. The best Christmas fun we had when mine were small was choosing the tree from the field at the local tree farm.

Though Christmas or not, I had fun with DS's poseable miltary men, about 10cm tall. If he left them in a heap on the landing he'd wake up to find them waltzing in pairs, holding hands dancing in a ring or having a yoga class. He knew it was me, though, and there was no pressure to do it every night for a month, either. I might have Instagrammed a picture if Instagram had existed, but not a month's worth.

I'm bracing myself for the annual slew of faux outrage about nativity plays/saying Merry Christmas/labelling trees as Christmas trees being banned that gets shared by the scattier end of my fb friends spectrum.

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minisoksmakehardwork · 05/11/2019 09:03

I think they're a dreadful consumer gimmick. But do enjoy seeing pictures of things that creative people have come up with, and am glad it's not me having to do it.

Our children have never yet asked why they don't have an elf, youngest are 7 now. But I think they've also seen enough of them in the shops to know it's a practical joke more than an actual magical being. No different to them doing daft things with their cuddly toys at times.

But it is the constant 'keeping up with the Jones' which baffles me. It's always been about. But social media and a lack of critical thinking has a lot to answer for. Because we see so much more than we would in the past, people feel obliged to fall in and follow the herd. If it's something which genuinely you are happy to participate in, then fine. But if you are only doing it because everyone else is and you don't want you/your child to be left out, what's that teaching them about being their own person the rest of the time?

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LaurieMarlow · 05/11/2019 09:11

people feel obliged to fall in and follow the herd.

Well, that’s human nature. I agree SM has ramped it up.

However, what I find interesting is how much of what we do at Christmas are shared cultural traditions. Trees, crackers, Yule logs, Santa, carols, Christmas specials on TV, turkey, pudding, Brussels, I could go on.

Christmas always has been about following the herd. Shared, communal experiences are clearly very important to us at this time of year.

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lettersbyowl · 05/11/2019 09:27

@MrsTerryPratchett My house too! 😂😂😂

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24hourshomeedderandcarer · 05/11/2019 09:46

i hate this and never agreed with it,its controlling kids behavior through monitoring and scaring if its used the way its supposed to be

its you must be good or this elf will report back to santa

thats controlling kids through threats and scare tactics them into being good as santa will know

then you get the ones who move him every day in different positions which is supposed to be "cute".

last year a boy in the street who had just turned 4 year old was petrified to enter his house after the first morning of introducing this elf

he woke up to find elf has moved and he was that petrified he ran out of the house screaming and refused to enter till the elf was gone

the parents though it was funny

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LaurieMarlow · 05/11/2019 09:49

its controlling kids behavior through monitoring and scaring if its used the way its supposed to be

You don’t have to do that though. No one I know includes that bit.

Just as they don’t include that aspect of santa.

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LollyBeebee123 · 05/11/2019 10:01

MustardScreams I do it for my kids for one wk(18th-24th) I never put anything on social media about it. In fact I never post any pictures or details about my children on social media, ever!

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NearlyGranny · 05/11/2019 12:07

Hang on, the kids get presents every day from the expletive-deleted elf? What's wrong with just opening the window on the Advent calendar? You can add a sweetie.

Good grief. When the kids are comparing with classmates every day and looking crestfallen it's a recipe for debt all the way to Easter.

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Whattodoabout · 05/11/2019 12:08

I started it years ago way before it was popular and now wish I hadn’t... I didn’t work as many hours when I started it so had more time on my hands to conjure up weird things for the elf to do each day. I’m a lot busier now so some days I just forget the move the fucker.

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LaurieMarlow · 05/11/2019 12:08

Presents everyday is not an elf thing. Or not that I know of.

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FizzyIce · 05/11/2019 12:11

I absolutely loathe the Elf on a shelf.
My fb is covered in photos of the creepy fucker from the end of November and all it’s ‘amusing’ activities .
And because my dd’s friends all talk about it ,dd feels left out but bloody hell, I have enough to do without setting up a whole scene for a damn doll every day .

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tallpoppies · 05/11/2019 12:26

The presents every day is definitely a thing on my SM! I think it was only meant to be that the elf moves every day but maybe I just know some OTT peopleGrin The ones that do this aren’t my “friends” but other mums from the school whom I find myself avoiding for the whole of December! Seriously thinking about deleting them this month!

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LaurieMarlow · 05/11/2019 12:27

Surely presents every day is an advent calendar?

I’ve never heard of the elf bringing presents every day.

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