To think it’s a total waste of time (elf)

[Direstraightsagain]

I’ve never done ‘elf on the shelf’. Full time job. Busy life. Kids not bothered. Loads of my friend have and they get really tense about what they are going to do each day.. or thank god it’s nearly over! It’s really doesn’t sound fun. Why would you put yourself though trashing your own house to pretend to your kids (who know it’s you anyway) that some elf if trashing your house every night in the run up to Christmas… is no one else busy.

My ASD kid doesn't believe in things like santa or the tooth fairy and never did. He had no truck with any of it even when tiny. It really didn't matter, and he was much happier knowing that we weren't telling him things that he considers to be a pack of lies. He likes to be certain about what is going on.

I think it's fine if you just don't do it.

Why are people so arsed about this?
Same thread every year.

We only done it twice, both years ago, I loved it more than the kids did.

I wasn’t pressured into doing it, it wasn’t for social media (not even sure I took one photo of what ‘the elf’ had done) it was actually a relatively new thing over here and it was an American friend who told me about it.

It was fun.
Kind of got boring after the 2 years and hard to think of new ideas so I just told the kids they don’t get an elf every year

What pressure?

Some people do it. Some people don’t.

There’s tons of traditions, at Christmas, that some people do and some people don’t.

You just don’t do it. Who is going round pressuring other adults into having an elf?

Are you new to Mumsnet?

It’s an internet forum where people share their opinions and often make light hearted comments. It’s not that serious, especially on a thread about a bloody fake elf.

Are you new to Mumsnet?

No 😂

But I simply do not understand why there's this need to make such claims on this topic. Everyone does different things with their children. No one remotely suggested yours were missing out on anything.

its just strikes me as odd.

It's fine for people who really do enjoy it, but this and the trend for Christmas Eve boxes and now 1st Dec boxes and matching PJs and on and on have certainly grown from marketing if not been created by marketing people in the first place. Mostly to sell more of the tat that is drowning the planet.

None of the above were a thing when I was bringing mine up, and none of these things would be for me now. YANBU if you don't bother with any of it.

People say this every year.

Christmas Eve boxes were something my family did in the 80s when I was a kid and in the 50s/60s when my mum was a child. And I knew plenty of friends who did it too.

it wasn’t a thing for you. But it was for many. Social media Has people convinced that if it’s something they haven’t seen before it must be new. Simply because they haven’t seen it before.

Everyone has slightly different traditions and activities at Christmas. If you look at other peoples and take it as pressure to do all the traditions and activities you see, that’s an active decision. Just because someone shares their activity doesn’t mean you need to do it.

Just do the ones you want to. I have never seen anyone pressure someone else into having an elf. Or someone into having Christmas Eve boxes.

and it’s ok saying ‘well when my kids see them, they also want them’, that’s called parenting. Our kids will always see stuff they want that we don’t or can’t do.

I've got one for this year and doing it for the first time. DCs are 5 and 1 so we'll get a few years out of it. I don't think I'll be doing any trashing or getting any special props but the dc will enjoy looking for it.

I'm not on social media and no one else has mentioned it to me so there's no pressure from anyone. Just want to do something to amuse the dc and have something they'll remember as a tradition. I probably do have more time on my hands than most as I don't work.

Love the elf. Been doing it for 6 years. Never gets old, just a bit of fun. Couldn't give a hoot who else does it tbf.

We did it. No stress, didn’t feel tense...wtf is that about? Tense? 🤣And the house wasn’t trashed.
It took 30 seconds to 10 minutes to do each evening.

Your friends are Elfing all wrong. Or are they all highly strung like you seem to be? Yes, I had a busy life when my kids were young when we did it, but it’s up to 10 minutes extra a day, usually a lot less, it really wasn’t an issue.

It’s not compulsory though. Let your friends know that if it’s too much pressure for them and makes them tense! 😅

I could never be arsed with it, but to each their own

I do wonder the people who don't do it feel the need to justify why they don't do it and try and demean it. It's almost like they feel bad...