Should I start this Elf thing

[Iwashappyonceuponatime]

Or not go there?

Dd is 4. The elf on the shelf thing looks quite fun…but…should I commit or will I forever have to do it? Is it annoying or fun and where do you even get the elf from 🙈🤷🏻‍♀️

Just to warn you, you will be doing it forever, mine are 13 and 15 and still expecting Elfie’s arrival on Thursday!! I don’t do anything elaborate though and I don’t use social media. The best thing he ever did was one day when they were both still in primary, he wrapped up every item in their packed lunches on the last day of term.

It’s just a bit of fun but don’t let social media make you feel like you have to do it if you can’t be arsed!!

My cousin's did it with their dd's, now they do it with their own dcs and it's become a bit of competition between them. The dcs love seeing what the elf has got up to and finding the small treats he's left

1. Advent calendars

3)Salt dough ingredients to make tree decorations
4) Delivery of Christmas books - same ones brought out each year.
5)
6)
7) Christmas window stickers delivered
8)
9)
10) Christmas jumper delivered
11) ingredients for chocolate playdough
12)
13)
14) Glass paint pens delivered for DD to draw Christmas scenes
15)Paper chain supplies delivered
16)
17)
18) Tree and decorations down from the loft.
19) Panto tickets
20)
21) Build your own gingerbread house kit from Morrisons
22) Sausage roll ingredients
23) Mince pie ingredients
24) hot chocolate ingredients on the table + flasks and instructions to go out and look out for Santa's sleigh (ISS)

As I said upthread the first year I wasn't working so did lots of creative things, Happy Land Town set up with new Christmas characters added and town covered in snow (talc)

As I went back to work our Elf delivered a letter with the Advent calendars saying he had been promoted and would only be at ours at the weekend as he was supervising all of the other naughty elves. I get school holidays off so he visited more then too.

I then carried on as normal but would plonk the Elf amongst the ingredients / table of whatever it is I wanted to do with DD. If I wanted to make mince pies "Wow, look what the Elf brought us today) bonus was DD was far happier to get involved than if I'd asked her to help me.

DD is a teen now and has become the Elf Master which she enjoys and softened the blow of it all not being real.