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Original poster

Elf Rules

102 replies

Elfnsafety · 29/11/2023 23:37

First year doing it.

Don’t want to go with the creepy, the elves are watching you thing. Have a girl and boy elf, just them no big kit or story book etc. My plan is to put them in our post box with a letter for her from them. I’m going to say they’re Santas helpers from The North Pole …then what? Where will they go after that? She’ll wonder where they are/why she can’t play with them. I get that I make them do silly things for when she wakes up in the morning…but then where do they go when they’ve done the silly thing? Sorry but she’s smart and won’t get why she can’t play with them/why they’ve disappeared again until the next morning 🤷🏻‍♀️
Also, I read that they leave on Christmas Eve when they go back with Santa and I leave a letter for them saying thank you? For what though?

Hope I’m making sense 😂

OP posts:
purpleme12 · 30/11/2023 00:13

Die 🤣 have to say that does sound a bit too much! 🤣

Snugglemonkey · 30/11/2023 00:15

90yomakeuproom · 29/11/2023 23:47

Well the point is that they are sent by father christmas and go and report back to him each night about their behaviour. That's why they leave on christmas eve because the child ends up on the nice list and their job is done.

Not here! The point is a bit of fun!

Bbq1 · 30/11/2023 00:18

Elfnsafety · 29/11/2023 23:56

@purpleme12 What kind of tricks?

So what do I say in the opening letter? Like why are they actually here?

Op, elves weren't a thing when my ds was small but I would have done it. You're definitely over thinking things. They do stuff like try and make a cake and you scatter flour round a bit or they have a snowball fight with mini marshmallows... Hide them on the tree or in a toilet roll... they might bring little gifts for dc. It sounds like it's stressing you out.

Original poster
Elfnsafety · 30/11/2023 00:21

@Bbq1 Def not stressing me out, have ideas for the fun bits. Just wondering what I say for why they came

OP posts:
Original poster
Elfnsafety · 30/11/2023 00:22

Definitely not saying if she touches them, they die!! 🙈

OP posts:
purpleme12 · 30/11/2023 00:22

🤣

FizzyWizard · 30/11/2023 00:23

The true spirit of Christmas is in DEAD ELVES and it's YOUR FAULT child 🎄

purpleme12 · 30/11/2023 00:24

Can't help chuckling at the possible dead elf

Needmoresleep · 30/11/2023 00:25

AyrshireTryer · 29/11/2023 23:47

Kill both elves now!

That’s you on Santa’s naughty list.

mamma65432 · 30/11/2023 00:25

I did not invent that idea...

ColleenDonaghy · 30/11/2023 00:32

There was a recent thread along the lines of "things you wish you'd never started" - every second reply was about the bloody elf. Read the thread OP and save yourself while you still can.

There are people on there still doing the elf for teenagers. Teenagers! So that's 24 nights a year for, say, 15 years. Can you think of 360 things for an elf to do? Your time is worth more than this!

ColleenDonaghy · 30/11/2023 00:34

FizzyWizard · 30/11/2023 00:23

The true spirit of Christmas is in DEAD ELVES and it's YOUR FAULT child 🎄

That's called a Catholic Christmas Grin

Skyisbluegrassisgreen · 30/11/2023 05:10

Why can’t she play with them? I have cuddly elves not the elf in the shelf ones and my daughter plays with them all the way through December - there’s no reason for her not too…

CheshireDing · 30/11/2023 05:45

The book explains why the elf is here - to report back to Father Christmas on good behaviour so the child gets out on the good list

Don’t overthink it OP.

I wish I had never started the coin from the Tooth Fairy being a glittery one ! That’s a right pain 🤣

JMKid · 30/11/2023 06:10

Thank god I’ve never done this. Don’t care if most parents do it, more expectations on things we should be doing!!! Don’t get why anyone does it.

AbsolCatly · 30/11/2023 06:14

I have given in this year to DD (8) who asked for an elf, in her words, a fake one not a real one that does naughty things (up until now I have told her that they only go to houses with kids who aren't as well behaved as her as I am not creating messes to clean up)

She wants to join in conversations with her friends who have them and has told me that with the real ones you have to sprinkle cinnamon on them to be able to touch them

twirlywoop · 30/11/2023 06:17

Elfnsafety · 29/11/2023 23:54

No way doing the whole reporting back to Santa thing-that’s awful!

I don’t mind her touching/playing with them at all. I just mean what do I say if she’s playing with them all day? Now I take them away? For what reason would I say? She might want to sleep with them etc

But that's the whole reason people do it and why others dont

twirlywoop · 30/11/2023 06:18

CheshireDing · 30/11/2023 05:45

The book explains why the elf is here - to report back to Father Christmas on good behaviour so the child gets out on the good list

Don’t overthink it OP.

I wish I had never started the coin from the Tooth Fairy being a glittery one ! That’s a right pain 🤣

Yeah you either have to do it properly or not do it really coz the kids all talk to each other

ginsparkles · 30/11/2023 06:26

We have a cuddly one. DD is now 11 and still loves him even though obviously now she doesn't believe in it.

She used to sleep with him, cuddle him and play with him during the day. He never left her side through December. I would have to go and wriggle him out from in her bed to create mischief, sometimes I couldn't get him so I just said he stayed to keep her company instead (often did the same when I forgot to move him!)

Biggest issue for us was Christmas Day she would miss him! She hated him going back!! So he would leave a teddy to replace him.

Now she creates his mischief for her dad or I to find after work.

Have fun OP.

DappledThings · 30/11/2023 06:36

I've never done it and never will but if you are going to then do it however you like. If you want to make them do weird stuff over night then you'll just have to tell her they need to stay downstairs when she goes to bed. It's not that complicated surely.

sashh · 30/11/2023 06:41

I think you need to find 24 things and write them down now if you are going to enter in to this madness.

Elves need a lot of sleep so they have to go to bed at 4pm. Either an Ikea doll's bed or a nest in a cupboard.

They are not to put her on the naughty list but the 'very good girls' list, only very good girls get on that list.

Letter from Santa saying he has sent the elves to check just how good she is.

toomanyhobbies · 30/11/2023 06:47

Ours arrives onthe 1st ds had already watched some clips on YouTube about them so didn’t need a letter or anything. It doesn’t report back. He can touch and play with them and they go back when the decorations are down as he loves having them so much.

They hide around each night and do a few things but nothing major. He also writes them notes and puts them in a bauble on the tree (one that opens). They have already left a couple of notes and bought him a kids baking set. He’s pretty accepting that different people have different rules for their elves.

last year I got a few of his friends elves too while they were all at school and took pictures of them all having a party in our livingroom. He still talks about that.

kneehightoacat · 30/11/2023 06:49

Thought they went on the shelf?

shivbo2014 · 30/11/2023 06:52

Ours arrives christmas eve with a letter just saying he's come to visit in the run up to christmas, nothing about dead elves or reporting back to santa 🫣 We don't actually do it every year, we say the elf visits different children every year. I'm definitely doing it this year as my youngest is 4. Perfect age.

MyGhastIsFlabbered · 30/11/2023 06:55

I don't get the elf hate either. I've got wonderful memories from over the years, like the time tot-sized DS1 (now 13) indignantly exclaimed that the elves had gone 'too far' and he was phoning Santa! Sometimes it's a faff, if it gets to bedtime and I realise I haven't moved them so there are days when they just get slung up to a shelf but most days I'm fairly on it, having had years of experience!