To not do 'Elf on the shelf'

[Alottodoaboutssomething]

I understand it as a magical annoying elf turning up 1st December, to watch your children, and report their behaviour back to the North Pole. However, it back fires when it is the "naughty" elf who infact is the one who needs watching. This is demonstrated by his antics each night (set up by the lucky parent who has to think of various mischievous predicaments for 24 days)! Please correct me if I am wrong on this.

I promise I am not a grinch! We do crafts, baking, advent calendars, small Christmas box with night before Christmas book, Santa key, leaving mince pie, carrot on Christmas eve etc in the lead up. I just find the elf idea creepy, especially the whole watching/monitoring idea. Surely it could lead to a "mummy is this you doing this?" and create further risk of them questioning Santa as well. I don't know if this has happened to anybody!

Dc1 has asked about his elf, and I don't want to do it, and feel mean, because the other kids get it visiting them. I don't want a festive squatter in my home!

Hear hear.

Oh gosh, no judgment intended! I'm the agnostic in our 'sort of Christian' family so that would be extra hypocritical in any case 😂 just that another poster mentioned that Advent celebrations might be more meaningful for Christians and I thought it might be an interesting point that actually it's supposed to be a fairly simple, reflective time of year in the Christian calendar.

I've never done it. I just said that I’ve got enough to deal with without a naughty elf showing up and causing trouble. The kids did mention a couple of times about what other peoples kids elves had been up to. But they never seemed hugely bothered. I do put a lot of effort into Christmas and make sure they have a wonderful time. I just really haven’t got the energy for an elf on top of everything else.

We're exactly the same OP. It's too much work, and I find the idea of being constantly watched creepy too.
We actually don't really do Santa, as I find the idea that children's "goodness" is measured by the number of presents they get/ amount of money spent on them very problematic, for lots of reasons! We sort of joke about Santa, but haven't ever done Santa gifts, and the kids have both known he isn't real since they were little. I never thought it spoiled the Christmas magic in any way.

Haha! I thought the exact same thing of Christmas boxes. I thought what a waste giving it on Christmas eve as well.

Then acouple of years ago I started it, I give them it on the 1st Dec with their advent calendar. I reuse the same boxes, the night before Christmas book and santa key goes away and comes out every year as part of the box. I only add in a small packet of sweets or chocolate santa, a hot chocolate bomb, and a Christmas jumper (donate these to school when they outgrow them). They also get just as much wear out of them, as they do their other winter jumpers. Sometimes a pair of Christmas pjs which again they get wear out of just as much, and wear them until outgrown like they do their others. They get really excited by it, and it has become a nice tradition.

But that halloween thing, definately not!! I have never heard of that, what will there be next?!

@Alottodoaboutssomething sounds like you struck a good balance there, and I’m SO with you on Halloween!

Our elf hid in a lamps lampshade which then got switched on the next day before he moved .. so after that we had half an elf left, luckily he went in a shoebox to be sent back to elf land to be fixed..while his friend stepped in to take over. need to do better this year..

This really doesn’t happen.

My daughter is 8 and I’ve never been roped into that nonsense. And she has never come home complaining about the fact she doesn’t have one when her friends do.

It would more likely give her nightmares to be honest.

But that halloween thing, drfinately not!! I have never heard of that, what will there be next?!

I'm sure you can use your imagination and predicted how it will go... a "Romance Rucksack" filled with red, heart-shaped tat for Valentine's Day. A "New Year Sack" filled with back to school tat. A "Summer Sack" with sun cream and Christmas crafts. An "April Fools Hamper" filled with cheap plastic shite and tricks to play on your friends. A "Harvest Festival Chest" in September with orange/brown/red plastic shite. A "World Book Day Box" not filled with books (because that wouldn't be any fun on Insta) but filled with more plastic shite, preferably "bits" from Temu. A St Andrews Day / Burns Night sporran (obvs) filled with cheap tartan tat and Scottish related tartan shite.

Such fun! Your kiddies are really missing out if you don't embrace all of these new traditions!

Yes I hate the idea of "santa is watching" used to make children fall into line. I do the whole Santa thing, but they get told we send the money to the North Pole, and FC delivers the presents, and they can't have everything. We sometimes do one small gift from the man himself, but it is something small and inexpensive.
They know that this has no bearing on behaviour and everybody can afford different things, so how much somebody gets isn't linked to being good.

Instead of a Christmas Eve box I've got a box of their Christmas books that comes out in December. If they insist on one I'll probably try form something more collaborative like them baking something to put in the box for Christmas Eve rather than me having to buy more stuff.

Whoops I mentioned that Chinese shite-site starting with T.

My point was that there are endless occasions which companies will leap on if they think they can sell more plastic tat.

Summer sacks with ice cream shaped tat. Harvest boxes with apple plastic tat or leaf shaped tat. Back to school boxes with cheap stationery. New Year's boxes with winter related tat. St Andrews / Burns Night boxes with tartan plastic tat. St George's Day boxes with English themed plastic tat. World book day boxes (not with books because that would be sensible) but any other tat left over from the other events. April Fools boxes with plastic tat and tricks to play on your friends. Valentine's day boxes with red, heart-shaped plastic tat.

Oh no, I completely agree! I always feel hypocritical celebrating when I am not religious. I just love all of the other parts (minus the elf). 😂 I know traditionally advent started alot later and ended later, the 12 days of Christmas etc. I have to admit I am one of those that puts decoration up on 1st Dec, and takes them down just before NY 🤭. I guess this would be a whole new thread 😂

So many of these 'new traditions' seem designed to pitch parents into competition with other parents, especially on social media. Who can find the funniest thing for the elf, who can get the cutest matching pyjama photos, who has done the bestest all round effort, oh you must be the most perfect parents. It is all about the image much of the time.
Turn off the social media, turn off the commercial noise. It is just creating further pressure for those trying to keep up and guilt for those who can't afford to.

None of this shit matters.

Love Cat Who Doesn’t Give a Fuck

I hope this takes off. Everyone could buy a little unimpressed looking soft toy cat that just sits next to the tree each year and does bugger all.

It's a box of Halloween themed stuff.
I've got my GC the pictured box. It's a grow kit with Halloween decorations to paint. It'll break up tomorrow morning, as well as putting up decorations. I'm my DD'S childcare.
When they were younger I would get the themed sticker books, snap bracelets and some type of themed torch to carry on our spooky walks/bat walk (we are lucky to live between a few parks). As well as themed candy. We'd watch a Halloween film over the half term on a wet day.
OP, I've done Christmas Eve bags since the 80's. I do themed everything. But I was clear that if my DD does the elf, she's on her own. We book some every weekend in December, so it wouldn't add anything. For those who can't afford much, I appreciate that it adds a cheap touch of fun for the children.

What is extra ridiculous about this elf now is that is doesn’t just appear on dec 1st, no. It now comes in a whole balloon display, inside one of the balloons saying ‘hello, I’m back’. So many people are advertising these elaborate balloon displays to welcome back the elf on my Facebook.

What a shame the elf who was meant to visit you had that terrible accident with the conveyer belt at Santa's workshop 😈

I think I may do away with ours this year. I can’t face it. So stressful thinking of bloody stuff to do with the evil little bugger

Aww, that is lovely, I like how you have incorporated halloween activities into this. I did think at first the spider was real though 😱
I have never heard of these! I like the way you have done it.

Advent starts on 1st December, you are getting confused with the Christian start of Christmas. Before Christianity it was the Winter Solstice and the Yule Festival. That's what I celebrate. The Elf costumes make good cheap barbie Christmas outfits. Lidl are due to get the costumes in for £1.99.

One of the joys of not being on social media is I am way behind on what's fashionable or the latest parenting trend. No elves here.

Harrriet · Today 10:17
No Elf
No Boo boxes
No Christmas eve boxes.
No Christmas bedding.
No Christmas nightwear.
The end.
We do lots of other things though

You overlooked the new, 24 seat dining table and the new sofa we’re all apparently supposed to buy from SCS to accommodate those unexpected guests.

Unexpected guests at Christmas? We wouldn’t answer the door 😁

We do it but don’t do any elaborate stuff. Literally move it, pop it in the cupboard etc. dc seem happy

Sorry had to repost, as forgot to include quote.