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 😂

Total American abomination and another way to bleed money from guilt tripped parents.

It doesn't have to cost a penny. I've spent precisely zero on our elf beyond initial outlay of 5 euro, six years ago.

On the 1st Dec the cheeky little elf will fuck off to Grandmas, as she bought them, and she can be responsible for the cheeky antics.

She bought the kids one EACH! I'm sure the original (awful) idea was that there's just one per family.

EVERY day until 25th?

To the poster who said I should give them back to my MIL and tell her they were an inappropriate gift: I do actually like my MIL so don’t want to upset her. She loves the kids to pieces and spoils them rotten (fair enough) but cannot ever say no and obviously my younger child has said he wants one and she’s obliged (probably without any real understanding of what they are).

I get that it is annoying, but I would just do it as your child is so excited. In a couple of years he won't be excited and a couple more he will be downright moody, so who cares if it clashes with your colour scheme? I resisted until the kids hijacked me at a weak moment last year in the Range and I couldn't deny their puppy dog eyes. I didn't do anything mean or disgusting like loads of pics on the internet. Their favourite was when they found him taking a nap in a tissue box.

@VickyEadieofThigh hmm if only I could think of another Christmas tradition where a child gets a chocolate every day in advent......

I don’t mind the elf but I don’t have young kids and a super busy life, ours goes on a bookshelf when the decorations come out and there he stays until January, I quite like his little face.

I dont agree with them when it involves pretending that they actually are real and that they're watching over the kids for naughtiness. Just parent. And its creepy. I would maybe do it for fun if my kids understood that it's a game and just for fun, if their friends all had one.

Nope, the elf was a step too far and I blank refused it.

Either tell the kids the truth, that they are not real or say they only work with the person who found them and give back to granny so she can set them up each time they visit and send photos of other days.

So many uptight and joyless people on here. It’s for the magic of the children!

My friend’s genius idea: one elf fell off the Christmas tree and broke its leg. Spent the next fortnight in “plaster” (loo roll bandage and micropore tape) while the other elf had to be its nurse. Gave her a bit of a break from thinking up antics.

No. Just don't start it otherwise you'll be stuck with the bloody thing going on for years yet,

Just say mums and dads get to say if the elf is allowed to be an 'alive' elf on the shelf, or just a fun xmas decoration and you've said the later. Because you don't want naughty elves in the house. That's that very matter of fact.

I haven't bought into this at all, but my youngest DDs best friend's elf on the bloody shelf ruined a sleep over because all the girls (8) got freaked out about thinking they saw it move it's head to look at them as they went past and DD and two others ended up in tears and needing to go home ...

at 2.30 in the morning 🙄

or say they only work with the person who found them and give back to granny so she can set them up each time they visit and send photos of other days.

This is an excellent solution

😂 OP you've definitely been roped in! Just wait until you get in bed and realise you've forgotten to move the little fuckers!

I don't mind them, DS loves it and has already been saying he hopes his comes back this year, it's just a bit of fun though- you don't need to go ridiculous with them! We do a lot of toilet roll misadventure.. races down the stairs in loo rolls, teepee the tree with one, if you've got figures set them up as if they're playing some kind of game.

I've saved this tik tok to steal a few this year vm.tiktok.com/ZGe1kspBV/

I never post mine on social media (apart from the year DP did a particularly good zip line, toggle included so they could actually zip down 😅 because I was so impressed with him). It does get tiresome seeing people post theirs daily though, or when people post the night before when they've been set up and then the kids reaction in the morning

Thank goodness Elf on a shelf wasn't a thing when my DC were young.I'd have been scrawling a note in crayon to say "thank you for inviting me into your house ,but I find the weather too cold for me so I've decided to go to the Caribbean( or some other hot location) for the winter."

If joy involves thinking up antics for a tacky little elf twenty four times then honestly you can keep it

I managed to dodge it with my older two (15 and 17). I felt bad a couple of years ago for the little one (now 6) and bought a couple. He told me he knows they are just dolls so I don’t bother. Result!

Just another load of bollocks to add to Christmas stress

I had no plans till last year when my then 6 year old asked. We were having a rubbish time and it gave us all something to smile about. Sadly, he took a few days to arrive as he missed the first sleigh out. Most days he didn’t do much, I was in hospital for a week with the baby, so he didn’t do anything then, he bought some gifts for kids on my return for being good. Most days he did very tame things like eating my chocolates and left the wrappers as evidence.. My oldest was besotted and they can’t wait for his return. This year I bought a kit on Amazon for £20. Tells you what to do every day and has all the bits you need apart from some bits which you will have in the house. Each day is labelled with the bits in a little bag. Looks super easy. On the 1st day he will also bring some winter socks I got in the sale last year and some Christmas letter kits for Father Christmas. I don’t see this as a forever thing and can’t wait for their little faces really.

My son is 15 now, his used to go back to the north pole for visits in the lead up to Christmas, and was quite clumsy so it often had bandages and it couldn't move for a few days

I'm extremely glad that my kids are too old for elf on da shelf.
Last year I was amazed that you can get sleeping bags for them. This year it appears you can also get clothes.
Last year one of my local shops was given a large stock if the elves and most of them ended up in random places all over the place. This year its under new management and has everything but.

We do do elf on the shelf, our elf tends to do things like sit in the Christmas tree or turn picture frames upside down or have a couple of Roses wrappers on his lap. Basically something thats not costly, messy or in the way. He always is either in the tree, sideboard or shelf! We’ve always told DD not to touch him and she never has. We’ve never done big or messy stunts like you might see on instagram etc.

As your kids have already been given the elf, as a toy can’t you treat them as just that… toys? Let the kids play with them and set up their little stunts. I think what I’m trying to say is you can do the elf your own way, it’s doesn’t have to be done like someone else does it or have to be insta worthy like some do. Just let the kids play with them.

We just have the elf. It doesn’t do anything! I think I binned the book, and DS is too young to realise about the naughty elf thing.

Also if you told my kid not to touch, ha ha…

I hate the bloody things too. If you have autistic kids, DO NOT cover the interior of your car in fake snow then pick the kids up from school and show them what the naughty elves have done. The resulting meltdown was so epic it brought the teachers out of the school to see what all the commotion was. Ds6 still shakes his fist at any elves he sees in shops.