Elf on the Shelf

[Fireal]

We’ve never done it. Honestly, I hate the entire thing and I’ve always sworn I would never do it for my children (we do other things and Christmas is a big deal in our house). I won’t go into reasons why I hate it as I understand I’m a minority, but I do feel quite strongly.

My MIL has just bought my two (10 & 7) an elf each (bought with good intentions - we have a good relationship and they’re great grandparents) and I am furious. My 7 year old keeps talking about how it’s going to do naughty things and he can’t wait. I’m now trapped into doing it in December aren’t I? Honestly the thought of staging this every day makes my blood boil and I hate that we’re being forced to do it.

AIBU to refuse? I don’t want to ruin the magic for my younger boy, but honestly it’s the most irritating thing they’ve ever done 😂

Pin the elf to a dartboard/ noticeboard. and frame Batman, The Joker, Barbie or whoever is available.

Then Elf is stuck and cannot move but is still observing. Meanwhile humans can't interfere - it's against the rules.

😁 or make little flour footprints leading up to the bin and OOOPS Elf accidentally threw himself out 🤷‍♀️ his choice to leave. Nothing to do with you!

If the dc are really, really good the elves would probably disappear back to the North Pole, it being the busy season.

Or you could just look mystified when they’re not doing anything and surmise that mil was conned.

Could you leave the ten year old in charge of it?

Or you could make up a story that the Elves lured MIL into buying them by being in disguise but they're actually escaped convicts and they're on the run.

then MIL gets the blame for releasing two bad asses from shop prison

In the words of Brian Connelly - it's a puppet!!!!

A 10 year old will know that this elf horror is not "real" and that a stuffed piece of cloth cannot get up to mischief in the house. I would be furious that someone else is imposing this sort of work on me.

Agree the best way to go is to stick the things on a windowsill or something and forget about them. So glad my kids missed this social-media inspired nonsense by a few years.

Written in 2005. Such a long-standing tradition right there. 🙄

This is a really good idea. Have them holding a chocolate each morning, or occasionally a very small toy? This seems like a much better idea!

The elves get married on day 4 then go on a 3 week honeymoon?

All these responses have cheered me right up! This thread is the one good thing to come from these stupid, hateful elves!

I’m with the poster who said they hate its stupid face. I hate looking at them; they make me irrationally cross. I think I just see an extra job and the start of a tradition I want no part of. I’m so worried they’re going to reappear every year. We already have an ‘elves’ tradition: every December they deliver a stack of Christmas books. That is enough for me, although I don’t mind the suggestion of the elves just hiding rather than being naughty.

We’ve never told our kids Santa watches them; they’re good kids. I hate that nanny cam Santa idea tbh.

I can’t use them as decorations because they definitely won’t go with my theme, although I guess they could live in the kids’ back room on the fireplace with their certificates etc.

My husband has already offered to take it on as his, although I’m tempted to send them packing to my in laws’ house for daily updates. The only problem with this is they are terrible with technology and can barely use a phone 😩😂

My DSs are grown up so we didn't do the elf thing but when I spoke to one of my lovely colleagues about it saying is it annoying she said its one of the best things about Christmas for her . She loves the excitement on her DDs face looking for the elf each day. and that's its one fun thing about Xmas that's free . So I stood corrected !

If you're that fuming at them being bought you will be accumulating that anger every day in the lead up to Christmas if they turn into naughty elves.

A very easy peasy thing you could do as a middle ground could be to have a kind of hide and seek elf so you just have to move it to a new position each day with no pesky behaviour- the children can have a bit of fun trying to find the elf each morning.

The elf only moves if their behaviour is good so if you accidentally forget you could always blame it on something that may have happened the day before.

Hope this helps.

Make them run off to the Discworld to celebrate Hogwatchsnight! Cos it's a multiverse, innit?

Just keep it as a decoration if you don't want to do it.

However, you can be very low key with the elf if you want. I never do anything complicated. The kids absolutely love it and their favourite was the time the elf hid in the washing machine.

Or my boss does it, but only the week before Christmas, which is genius

I hate them. But at least there are two. One kills the other and is sent to prsion for life. The end.

That's harsh!

Just leave them on a shelf or the fireplace, as you would any other ornament. Or the kids can have them in their bedroom.

Just because you have an elf, it doesn't mean you have to do something with it!

I like this idea!

They can run away from home on 1st December and fail to return because they are the naughtiest elves ever. Job done.

Very grateful my DC are too old for this shit. It is definitely the sort of thing my MIL would have, with good intentions, inflicted on me if it had been a thing 10 years ago.

MIL bought one a couple of years ago but fortunately asked first if we wanted it. DH said a clear thanks but no thanks and I've never seen the wretched thing again. If she had just introduced it without checking I'd have been furious too.

I’m sorry OP but I think you are being a bit unreasonable. Your kids are delighted and your husband is offering to do all the work. So really this barely affects you if he’s going to do it all, why would you begrudge your children the joy it brings?

Or take it outside and run it over. Elf experienced the consequences of being naughty and playing in the traffic.

Like other people have said you can really do with it what you want. Ours often just hides or brings something small (a chocolate thing or small Christmas puzzle). A really good tip I have for you is after a few days hide it really well and it stays in its hiding place until they find it giving you a few days off! Also don't start it on 1 December like we did. Just leave a note from yours saying he's busy until a certain date so you don't have to do it for as long.

I know how you feel, "we have different traditions at our house" has worked for years and then DD came home with one after a shopping trip with MIL. In June. But my DD 6 is so incredibly excited about it, she's been playing with it as a doll for months and just can't wait until it 'comes to life' in December so I am going to make an effort to hide it around the place. My older kids lost interest in all these special little Christmas things earlier than I expected, around 10 yo so I'm savouring these things with my last baby. In a few years he'll have grown out of it.

It's very presumptious of you MIL to expect you to provide daily entertainment for her grandchildren in what is a very busy time of year. I'm not surprised you're annoyed. However, you're stuck with the damned things now.

Make you husband do the creative ones that take time and you can do a few of the easier ones.

I'd make one give them a piece of tiny paper with a job (like dusting). the other one hides with two sweets for them to find when they've done the job.

Or if you were going to do stuff like buy a new Christmas book, or bauble, they could provide that.

Total American abomination and another way to bleed money from guilt tripped parents. I'd just use them for decoration.