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!

We never did it. Kids asked a couple of times but accepted that no, it was not going to be coming to our house, and I don't think they care at all that they missed out now they are older!

I think it's insane that this expectation has been placed on parents on what is most people's busiest month of the year. I also think it will completely die out in another 5 years or so, when it becomes complete uncool and a new trend arrives.

You could say "Santa Claus has banished him back to the North Pole, due to unacceptable behaviour", and that on the back of this he will be in "retraining for the foreseeable future."

We have a boy elf & a girl elf. They’re just dolls in our house. They like playing! DS would laugh if I said not to touch them…

Feel so sorry for parents these days . Pressure to aspire to social media shite is horrible. Most parents are working FT doing their best to provide and trying to spend quality time with their kids . This manufactured tradition bullshit is so annoying . Just an attempt to guilt trip parents to spend on cheap plastic rubbish . It is so hard to be the family that says No to this as no-one wants their kids to feel left out .

I work in a school and the children are only talking about it on day 1 so I wouldn't worry too much.

I hate it too & don't do it either. I'm a primary school teacher and the amount of times kids sneak it into school etc is annoying. I think it's creepy too and also kind of ruins the magic of Christmas. I just tell my kids (& school kids) that the elf doesn't come to every house and it maybe wants to keep a closer eye on some children 😂. They don't miss it. I think my daughter asked about it once and she's now 8.

Never have and never will do it. It only became a thing because people like to show off on social media. The same as the new boo bags that people are trying to sell as a thing.

Boo bag? Similar to Christmas Eve box, I’m guessing?

We have an elf.
He does not do crazy things every evening. He occasionally does something.
We have magical Christmas time and we do go all out, our house is like a grotto! But, I won't be stressing about an elf every night.

I don't think it's hypocritical! Given Christmas borrowed so much from Yule in the first place, in Western Europe at least, I reckon you can ascribe your lights and celebration to a far older tradition.

The problem is in the past I’ve said no and even binned it. Then dh has gone and bought one and done the first few nights then I get left with it because the kids are expecting it

Wtf is magical about that? Jesus Christ. That there is a prime example of why I hate elf on the shelf.

Aw it's a bloody pain but the kids love it.

The elf doesn't have to be naughty though. Sometimes I just do something really quick like have him climbing up the Christmas tree, having a movie night with the Barbie dolls, make some paper chains, etc.

I even bought some elf report paper from the poundshop. If I've had some bad behaviour the elf has gone back to the North Pole overnight and came back with a report card 😂

Sorry, but that has further reaffirmed my decision not to do it...🤢

Ok, I hate that damn elf, but that's just twisted 🤣

Swanbeauty, I’d just assume that DH was unable to locate the Domestos, as usual…

@Singleandproud you sound amazing 😩 I have a husband and am a SAHM and I don’t have the energy to do half the gorgeous stuff you’ve listed!

🤣 trying to cover with the elf

We started it last year but he doesn't do anything naughty and he doesn't report back. I just move him about the house each night and DS enjoys finding him each morning. It's just a cute little thing that we do but there's no angst or drama over what he's going to do. Just like everything, it is what you make it. You don't have to do it OTT.

Never did it for my older two and have no plans to do it for my youngest. I find the elves creepy anyway and refused to agree when the nursery I worked at wanted to do this a few years ago..
I do love Christmas but some creepy elf watching us and having to think of mischief every night (and having to clean up every morning) isn't my idea of fun.

Point blank refused to do this and if they moan that their friends have an elf, I say that they may need a bit more supervision from Santa if they need an elf because Santa is happy with my feedback.

Not a chance am I doing bloody elf on shelf.

Its not really my thing, more because of the effort of it but I absolutely cant bare the idea of my sons peers mentioning about the elf visits and my son questioning why he doesn't get them so I'll do it for him and i know he will absolutely love it

That's really good of you. We do all of the other things, but I just don't think I can get onboard with this little elf!
My older dc is very inquisitive too, asks alot of questions, and unless it was doing quite extravagant stuff, he would probably get bored with the saga going on for 24 days. The youngest one would probably find it funny, but than again they may not like the "watching." I think as a child I might have found it creepy, I do as an adult! Even if you leave out the watching element, they will hear the story from school, and the thing has a creepy face imo! Maybe it could be part of somebody's Halloween 'boo box.' 😂