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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Im in love with Elf on a shelf

69 replies

TarasCrazyTiara · 02/12/2021 05:06

I love Elf on a shelf. There I said it!

I like to move him at night. I will put him in the fridge. I will put him in the cereal box. I already crawled into my sons room and put him on his bedside table looking at him when he woke up on the 1st. I emptied my husbands underwear draw and put elf in there (naughty elfGrin). I googled places to put elf.
Already I’ve seen some Elf hate on Mumsnet but I love the Elf tradition.

I’m in love with Eld on a shelf.Blush Am I being unreasonable?

OP posts:
RedHot22 · 02/12/2021 07:57

Surveillance?

Sounds sinister ….

Justleaveitblankthen · 02/12/2021 07:58

I had never even heard of this until a couple of days ago on here. Wondered what all the Elf dolls in Poundland were for.
Would it be unreasonable to torment delight adult DC with Elf? Grin

LethargeMarg · 02/12/2021 08:00

I hate it because I set the standard to high the first year and now have to do 24 new pranks each night- wish I had just moved him each night

Any simple ideas very welcome 🙏🏼

LethargeMarg · 02/12/2021 08:01

By the way my kids are 10 13 and 15 and still expect it every morning I'm still cross with dh for buying it!

MintyGreenDream · 02/12/2021 08:03

I don't mind doing it but I'm finding it difficult to get him to "disappear" I have to fling him out of sight when ds isnt looking

LethargeMarg · 02/12/2021 08:05

For fairness here are some simple ones I've done:-
Spelling out ho ho ho in cereal
Snow angels with flour
Elf making s'mores
Elf face on family photos
Elf playing PlayStation games everywhere
Green food colour down loo
Frozen elf
Minion bananas
Elf wrapped up
Sink bath
Elf in face mask with turban towel

Iggly · 02/12/2021 08:05

@HerRoyalHappiness

YABU. He's creepy as fuck and his original purpose was to keep an eye on the kids and report back to santa... I dont need an elf to make my kids behave. But each to their own I guess.
Elf doesn’t report in our house 😂 it’s never even been threatened - we don’t use Santa as a threat either.

The kids just like the fun of wondering where he will turn up in the morning. Although ds (12) now helps me move it for dd ❤️

Dontforgetyourbrolly · 02/12/2021 08:08

I love Christmas but more traditional things I guess
I've not done the Elf for ds and he hasn't suffered. Like so many things these days, this elf thing is like a badge on Facebook " look at what you dedicated mum I am " . Yawn .

Sirzy · 02/12/2021 08:08

I am so pleased I never started the elf here Grin

Joystir59 · 02/12/2021 08:11

If you were the only person in the world to like doing something that would be ok wouldn't it? Why do you need others to validate you?

Ohmych · 02/12/2021 08:20

I did it with ds when he was younger. This was before you could buy the elf on a shelf so I used an elf cuddly toy. After 7 years of a new thing every night ove the busiest time of year I was so glad to see the back of it when he no longer believed. Now I have Did who is little and Dp has convinced me to do the bloody elf with her. I said I'm not getting involved at all with it he can deal with everything for the stupid elf.

User5252727 · 02/12/2021 08:20

You're not unreasonable to like what you like! I personally hate the creepy narc, and I don't consider that unreasonable either Grin

TheKeatingFive · 02/12/2021 08:21

Last night our elf hid in the lego box.

Tonight he'll be stuffed in a teapot

MerryChristmas31 · 02/12/2021 08:25

Wonder if you will still feel like this in a weeks time and run out of ideas 😅

MLMshouldbeillegal · 02/12/2021 08:30

I have one FB friend who has an elf - coincidentally the same friend who is a MLM hun and who was advocating the ridiculous "clap for the kiddies" last lockdown.

It most definitely is surveillance in her house. Yesterday she posted a pic of the elf, assorted plastic tat, lots of sweets and a balloon saying "Santa Claus has sent me to see if you're being naughty or nice".

Child in question is about 8 or 9 and a bright child. There is no way they think the elf is real.

I suppose if you have just one child and work part time you might have time for that shit but I certainly didn't want to be finding space in the freezer or planning fun and zany activities for a plastic toy, then bombarding my friends with it on facebook. Hmm

GreenWhiteViolet · 02/12/2021 08:34

I have no problem with a cute elf that gets set up in a different place every night.

It's the creepy surveillance aspect that bothers me. Not something we should be normalising for children.

TheRealHousewife · 02/12/2021 08:49

Am I the only one who doesn’t know what Elf on a Shelf is … I came on thread thinking it was about a film, albeit one I hadn’t seen/heard of 😬

Skeumorph · 02/12/2021 08:54

I can't stand its face. That plastic smug Disneyface.

MrsColon · 02/12/2021 09:41

Bloody hell, there are a lot of smug fun-sponges on this thread! We don't have an elf, but it sounds like a lovely thing that OP is doing, and I expect her family enjoy it together.

As for the 'no-one has time for that' shite - could you be any more sanctimonious and 'busy' Hmm The elf takes literally minutes (or seconds!) each day, why are you making it out to be time-consuming?

If anyone wants to do something nice to make their DC happy in these trying times, then they should crack on. Ignore the snobbish, smug, I'm-classier-and-busier-and-better-than-you bollocks. Some people love to piss on other people's chips.

TheKeatingFive · 02/12/2021 09:43

The elf takes literally minutes (or seconds!) each day, why are you making it out to be time-consuming?

Exactly. It's only as elaborate as you want to make it. I've never spent more than a few minutes on the elf, but my kids wake up every morning excited to find him.

EasyLikeSundays · 02/12/2021 09:52

@HerRoyalHappiness

YABU. He's creepy as fuck and his original purpose was to keep an eye on the kids and report back to santa... I dont need an elf to make my kids behave. But each to their own I guess.
Biscuit
EasyLikeSundays · 02/12/2021 09:54

Some miserable responses on here. Particularly "I don't have time" it literally takes less than a minute to move him, you don't even have to go through the effort of making an elaborate display. I feel sorry for the kids of parents who are so miserable about Christmas. Bet they have time to mumsnet of an evening yet no time to move an elf about a bit. Such a shame. Anyway OP of course YANBU.

EasyLikeSundays · 02/12/2021 09:55

@GreenWhiteViolet

I have no problem with a cute elf that gets set up in a different place every night.

It's the creepy surveillance aspect that bothers me. Not something we should be normalising for children.

Yeah you're right actually, we don't say he's watching you to the kids, they just think he's sent from santa to entertain them til Christmas.
Tal45 · 02/12/2021 09:58

I like the idea but that elf on the shelf is creepy as fuck. I've got some little metal elves that don't give me nightmares to do it with instead although really my ds is far too old so it's mainly for my entertainment.

AFS1 · 02/12/2021 10:14

Can’t stand it myself, and very grateful I never started it with my kids, but you’re clearly having fun with it, so I say crack on and Merry Christmas! I suspect there are Xmas things I do that other people would hate, so each up their own.