To be annoyed by extravagant elves?

[dontcallmeduck]

My social media is full of joyous parents sharing the antics of their elves. All fine, I even partake myself.

But why are the elves now bringing Christmas pyjamas, selection boxes, gifts, teddies and even tickets to events? Surely this is going to cause endless confusion amongst children whose elves (if they even have one) don’t???

Why can’t those gifts come from the parents?

Our elf brought DD's advent calendar, that will be it. I don't do Christmas Eve boxes or anything else before the big day. I think it takes away from the excitement of Christmas morning presents.

It’s showing off imo

Only done for social media

Yabu for participating in the shite!

I am so over these tedious threads bashing other people’s Christmas traditions. I don’t choose to do the elf but I really don’t give a shit what other people do. If you don’t like the elf/December first box/Christmas Eve box/etc then don’t do it and teach your children to be grateful for what they have and work for what they don’t have rather than whinging about it.

Someone on my FB feed is very imaginative....last night the elf was roasting marshmallows .

If you’re partaking in something a lot of people think is tacky and verging on sinister anyway I wouldn’t judge.

We don't have an Elf, DS2 was too old to start the tradition when they became a Thing.

Surely this is going to cause endless confusion amongst children whose elves (if they even have one) don’t???

You could apply that to anything.

What about when some kids get more than others at christmas, or birthdays or have holidays when others dont.

We have done ELF this year ds broke it to me that he knew it was me and wasnr fussed anymore. Never did gifts with the elf, but really cant get upset over what other people do with theirs.

I dont even have an Elf, I'm hoping the fad will die out by the time mine know what they're all about.

I'm doing a Christmas Eve box this year, but that's replacing a stocking in the morning. Kids are young and too many things to open on the day itself (not that they have a huge amount!) gets a bit samey and boring for them (and me, having to do it for the youngest followed by more of the same a few days later for his birthday).

I’m not against the elf, Christmas Eve boxes etc. I’m just one of those who also believes big presents should come from parents so that Santa isn’t discriminating.

I used to be anti elf but my children were asking why Santa didn’t send them one so we joined in.

No!

You'll all think I'm super miserable I tell my kids that you can only ask Santa for one present because all the kids in the world need a present and that mummy and daddy have to send the money to Santa, and that the rest of the presents are from mummy and daddy who work very hard to buy them.
No elf here and no Christmas Eve box.

Our elf lives here permanently, he doesn't do anything, just sits around in daughters bedroom smiling to himself. We don't go OTT with the Christmas stuff in our house, the kids get bored of waiting for the day to arrive if the excitement and anticipation goes on for too long! Tree goes up around the 13th, they visit one Santa's Grotto and we will go to our local Christmas lights switching-on. Most of the NT properties near us have things on for Christmas such as Victorian Christmas theme etc with lovely decorations, we'll visit a couple of those and that's about it.

@newbingepisodes I’m with you on that. We do a Christmas Eve box too (my mum bought it is) but me and DH have bought the stuff and they know it. It’s usually cost socks, popcorn, sweets etc for family time on Christmas Eve.
Santa brings a small present here and fills stockings (cheaply). All other presents are bought for them and they know that.

For the poster suggesting I work for what my children don’t have rather than whinge, my children do have everything they need thank you. I work very hard to buy it and I tell them that so they know how the world works.

I do the elf but he doesn’t bring presents, it’s more just something that makes my DD laugh/get excited.

Our Christmas Eve box is just PJs, Christmas film, hot choc ingredients, sticker book etc - nothing extravagant. My Mum used to let me open a present on Christmas Eve, so this is just a kind of nod to that.

Like a PP said, I also tell DD that Father Christmas brings one present - otherwise she’ll think we’ve got her nothing! My in-laws told her recently ‘let us know what you want and we can give them to Santa to wrap and bring here on Christmas Day for you’ - she looked very confused!!

Totally agree with @newbingepisodes & I genuinely don't understand when & why Christmas got like this or why any of it is necessary to celebrate Christmas.

Yours sincerely
Scrooge

If it makes you feel better I stumbled down stairs at 4:30am as I had too much wine last night and forgot to move ours, so I moved them from the fireplace to the window sill and stumbled back to bed. Daughter told me they are supposed to do cool things as her friends had all brought candy canes, decorated christmas trees, made snow Angel's in sugar. Well ours moved from one spot to another I thought that in itself was bloody fucking marvellous.

I didn’t mean you working and not whinging. Your post is lamenting the fact that some kid’s parents make more effort than others and you think they shouldn’t because it will make other kids feel like they have less. How about teaching your kids to ignore what other people have/do and feel grateful for what they do have, as well as striving towards what they want.

I think it’s all disgustingly extravagant - smiggle advent calendars, gifts from elves, Christmas Eve boxes - all before a day when children get piles of gifts anyway. I adore Christmas and love hearing about others traditions but I really do hate this relentless ostentatiousness

Santa isn’t real nor are his elves. Don’t think it really matters.

I'm with the dogs.

I don't necessarily think the problem is what the end does, I think a huge majority of it is parents sharing it on social media and other parents feeling insignificant or trying to outdo everyone else so they can share in social media. I'm all for everyone doing as everyone pleases but doing it because they want to and in private rather than for likes!! I thinknkids probably care while lot less than parents do about it all!

"What about when some kids get more than others at christmas, or birthdays or have holidays when others dont."

Children young enough to believe In Elves don't get involved in competitive Christmas presents, so that doesn't apply. The rest is easily explained by the parents circumstances.

I have always done Christmas Eve boxes (since 1985) and we do make a fuss, but my DD decided not to do EOTS and tbh, we aren't going to go along with the lie that's it's real. If course you tell your children to not give the game away, but if they do, then they do.

Meh. i'm not so bothered about Christmas but try explaning to a 5 year old why the tooth fairy gives him 1€ and his friend 5€...