Bloody Elf turns up in a balloon now

[DressingGownofDoom]

I know IABU and a curmudgeon but why does everything have to be such an exhibition at Christmas? Elves can't just appear this year they have to float from Lapland in a balloon with a present I know, I know if you don't like it don't do it. That's fine but I do feel sorry for the kids whose parents don't have £15 to spend on an elf balloon and then a present on top just because it's the first of December. I thought this year might make us all step back and maybe consider a simpler celebration of Christmas but no, the social media onslaught of who can be the most ostentatious Christmas fanatic is worse than ever. I hate it.

[Nonamesavail]

@juniperandrage

Santa himself works on the good/naughty list

Not in my house he doesn't. Christmas presents are not connected to how good or bad my child is and I'm never going to threaten her with that.

Same.

[AccidentallyOnPurpose]

@juniperandrage

Santa himself works on the good/naughty list

Not in my house he doesn't. Christmas presents are not connected to how good or bad my child is and I'm never going to threaten her with that.

In my house the Elf doesn't do that either. He's not spying for Santa or anything. He just comes to spend some time with her and do silly things together on the countdown to Christmas.

[TheKeatingFive]

Not in my house he doesn't. Christmas presents are not connected to how good or bad my child is and I'm never going to threaten her with that.

This is exactly the point being made.

The concept of the naughty/nice list long predates the elf and parents reference it as much or as little as they want to.

The same principle applies to the elf.

[PrincessNutNut]

@juniperandrage

Santa himself works on the good/naughty list

Not in my house he doesn't. Christmas presents are not connected to how good or bad my child is and I'm never going to threaten her with that.

I'm glad to hear it. Perhaps I wasn't clear. My point was that in the places where there is a problem, it's not Santa or the elf or whatever,because you could just as easily make Santa a bad guy (and the naughty/nice list is pretty established with Santa, but he gets more of a free pass than the elf).

For the vast majority of people, the elf is a soft toy that they move around because it delights the kids. A few people use the elf unwisely, but I'm pretty sure they're generally the kind of parents who don't need an elf in order to fuck up. In those cases, the elf isn't the problem and the objections are misdirected.

[juniperandrage]

Santa himself works on the good/naughty list

Not in my house he doesn't. Christmas presents are not connected to how good or bad my child is and I'm never going to threaten her with that.

[PrincessNutNut]

@Buddytheelf85

As with the poster who spoke about the neglected child, the problem isn't the elf.

Well obviously I understand that the elf is an inanimate soft toy controlled by adults. But I think sometimes the things adults choose to make it do are questionable. As the Sarah Ockwell-Smith blog says, it’s weird to have an elf spying on a child for bad behaviour... whilst engaging in bad behaviour.

you can do whatever you like with your kids.

I don’t think I can actually - my kids aren’t my property. But yeah, I can choose not to do Elf on the Shelf if that’s what you mean. If I change my mind in the future I will be mindful of what I make the Elf do.

But again, the problem isn't the elf. A parent who could fuck up something so innocuous probably doesn't need an elf to do it! Santa himself works on the good/naughty list.

[TheKeatingFive]

As the Sarah Ockwell-Smith blog says, it’s weird to have an elf spying on a child for bad behaviour

In my circle, absolutely no one does this.

And ‘nice list/naughty list’ has been part of the Santa myth long before the elf. Entirely up to the individual how much emphasis they put on it.

[Buddytheelf85]

As with the poster who spoke about the neglected child, the problem isn't the elf.

Well obviously I understand that the elf is an inanimate soft toy controlled by adults. But I think sometimes the things adults choose to make it do are questionable. As the Sarah Ockwell-Smith blog says, it’s weird to have an elf spying on a child for bad behaviour... whilst engaging in bad behaviour.

you can do whatever you like with your kids.

I don’t think I can actually - my kids aren’t my property. But yeah, I can choose not to do Elf on the Shelf if that’s what you mean. If I change my mind in the future I will be mindful of what I make the Elf do.

[HelloitsmeMargaret]

@Buddytheelf85 you can do whatever you like with your kids.

[Amerimoon]

Out elf just moves around the house. He’s usually watching TV/ reading a book/ drinking a cup of tea/ drawing/ doing the washing by up/ brushing his teeth etc He isn’t naughty and he doesn’t report to Santa. The kids touch him (I know some people say you can’t touch them) but ours do and play with them in their dolls houses/ toy trains and so on. We say he comes alive at night if he’s alone so we leave him downstairs and the kids look forward to finding him the next morning in another place. It’s a little bit of magic for a few weeks and I can’t understand the problem with that really. There are so many things we do at Christmas just for fun!

[Emeraldshamrock]

My DS hates the elf it was used in preschool last year to monitor good behaviour he wasn't well behaved he has SEN and was threatened the elf will tell Santa if he misbehaved.
He kept saying "I hate Martin he is telling Santa on me" I thought Martin was a child for weeks.

[TheKeatingFive]

I’ve just skimmed the article. Not one of those objections apply to our elf.

I find it bizarre that people jump straight to the most objectionable possible version of doing the elf, without seeming to realise that most people are just moving a toy around their house.

[PrincessNutNut]

@Buddytheelf85

I haven’t RTFT, so I’m sorry if this has been shared already. I personally wouldn’t do Elf on the Shelf for some of the reasons set out in this blog post: sarahockwell-smith.com/2016/12/04/five-reasons-why-i-hate-elf-on-the-shelf/

However, I think to some extent it depends on what the Elf does. I think it’s cute when the Elf is hiding behind a picture frame or whatever. But I saw an Instagram post the other night where the Elf took a selfie with the sleeping child and was then sitting on the worktop with the iPhone showing the selfie on screen. Maybe I’m overthinking it but I just thought it was really creepy - children and adults shouldn’t take selfies with sleeping people without their consent and neither should an elf!

As with the poster who spoke about the neglected child, the problem isn't the elf.

[Buddytheelf85]

I haven’t RTFT, so I’m sorry if this has been shared already. I personally wouldn’t do Elf on the Shelf for some of the reasons set out in this blog post: sarahockwell-smith.com/2016/12/04/five-reasons-why-i-hate-elf-on-the-shelf/

However, I think to some extent it depends on what the Elf does. I think it’s cute when the Elf is hiding behind a picture frame or whatever. But I saw an Instagram post the other night where the Elf took a selfie with the sleeping child and was then sitting on the worktop with the iPhone showing the selfie on screen. Maybe I’m overthinking it but I just thought it was really creepy - children and adults shouldn’t take selfies with sleeping people without their consent and neither should an elf!

[PrincessNutNut]

[quote Emeraldshamrock]@MaskingForIt I apologise for taking your quote seriously.
Sometimes around here it is hard to tell the difference.[/quote]
I was about to say, although I was fairly sure it wasn't serious, it wasn't actually that far off an awful lot of genuine ones I've seen.

[Emeraldshamrock]

@MaskingForIt I apologise for taking your quote seriously.
Sometimes around here it is hard to tell the difference.

[baubled]

@Emeraldshamrock I mean the post by @MaskingForIt

[baubled]

@Emeraldshamrock That post wasn't serious!! It was a sarcastic reply to an earlier sarcastic comment 🤣 she is literally taking the piss and thinks the opposite!

[Emeraldshamrock]

Well actually you don't know that, but even if it's true...which is more mean-spirited, laying on a good Christmas show for compliments, or trying to whip up a sneer-fest online to tear people down over it?
That's true. as for this thread a sneer-fest it doesn't surprise me on MN it is disgusting.

[Popcornriver]

Surely it's like Toy Story toys? It comes to life once nobody can see?

[PrincessNutNut]

@Emeraldshamrock

I don't do elf yet thankfully. Yanbu I saw a few very extravagant events on social media you'd think the elf was Santa arriving himself.
One in particular had an elf cake, goodies, balloons & banners. It is all for show people give and create to pop on Instagram for compliments.

Well actually you don't know that, but even if it's true...which is more mean-spirited, laying on a good Christmas show for compliments, or trying to whip up a sneer-fest online to tear people down over it?

[Emeraldshamrock]

Well, you’ve said “kids” instead of “children”, and “Santa” instead of “Father Christmas”, so you’re already so far down the Mumsnet social strata that it doesn’t matter what you do. You might as well rent, have a massive television, a car on PCP and cover your house in tinsel and glitter
🤣 Fuck me. Be careful you don't fall off your high horse and bruise your arse cheek bottom.

unattractive trait caused by a person's belief that he or she is inherently better than others. Most snobbery has to do with social class and the idea that someone who has more money or went to a fancier school is worthier than someone who doesn't have these advantages

[Emeraldshamrock]

I don't do elf yet thankfully. Yanbu I saw a few very extravagant events on social media you'd think the elf was Santa arriving himself.
One in particular had an elf cake, goodies, balloons & banners. It is all for show people give and create to pop on Instagram for compliments.

[Laplanddreams]

@Katiepoes

Laplanddreams what is a North Pole breakfast? I like the sound of that.

No elves here as dolls give me the heebiejeebies but I have bought a reindeer made of lights for the garden. My daughter will adore it and my mother will hate it, win win 😁.

There are lots of examples on Pinterest but it is a special breakfast on 1st December. I just did Rudolph crumpets (Asda) and slices of strawberry and banana to look like candy canes. I filled little milk bottles with milk and topped with a big marshmallow with a snowman face. The table was set up festively with the advent calendars. It was very well received!

[reader12]

Thanks everyone - this thread reminded me to go down & move the kindness elves! We started doing them about 5 years ago when I was a SAHM, we never made a big fuss about Father Christmas but I saw the idea for kindness elves on a mum blog and liked it.

DS really believed they were magical when he was little, then started to question it and I still have a cute note he wrote them in year 1 that says thank you whoever this was. One year when I was quite ill they barely moved all of December but he got over it. He now fully knows it’s me doing it but still loves finding them and it’s helped him get through Covid isolation. They’re a pain in the arse and also rather lovely.