The Elves must go, 6yo looking for them at 2 am!

[Therandomtrekker1]

My two sleep soundly , never wake (both since 18 months) but since the Elves have arrived they are waking earlier and earlier.
This week youngest woke at 1.30am with an itchy foot ! Managed to get back to bed quickly and thought I broken night this week with all the early rises since 1 Dec 4-6 am instead of normal 6-7.30 whilst they both look for the Elves I was tired anyway.

Tonight is a new low, woke at 2.15am saw a light on and found the 6yo listening to an audio book while lying on the floor, been all over the house looking for Elves and lights on everywhere. Now upset because I took away her speaker and told couldn’t have nightlight as no one to switch it off later.

The Elves are a pain to do as I always forget until last minute (bought by my mum 2 years ago who didn’t realise what they were, she did apologise later) and while the joy on DC faces is heart lifting, the lack of sleep doesn’t justify them staying?

So
Elves stay it’s only for another week and the magic of Christmas is so fleeting for these little ones. AIBU

or do they get called back to the North Pole early, because little ones need their sleep and this is obviously disturbing them. YANBU

Aw that is so cute and funny though. Maybe not so funny at 2am but in years to come when they are all grown up and are grumpy teens, you’ll look back and laugh about it.
Reminds me of 3 year old foster child awake at 130am having opened all his stocking presents and merrily eating all his chocolate which was EVERYWHERE in his bed and come morning all stuck over his PJs. At the time it really wasn’t funny but we laugh about it now.
As what to do about the elf, maybe they need to start being naughty during the day instead because you have set up a special camera to watch them overnight?

I couldn’t be doing with the setting elf in naughty situations nightly (I’m already exhausted by bedtime as I’m sure most of us are) but I also didn’t want my DC wondering why everyone had an elf visit and they didn’t. Compromise was a cute soft elf arriving with a letter from Santa that they’d be returning to North Pole occasionally to help him and let him know how DC were. The elf arrived with chocolate and a book. It moves most nights (or sometimes when they are at school) but only within livingroom (eg on to tree, on mantle nothing taxing!) and will occasionally leave a gift (craft set I want to do with them or a sweet treat on a weekend) and even more rarely another letter from Santa. DC accepted that they got a “kind elf” that doesn’t so naughty things like some of the classmates elves do. Win win. Little effort on my part but they still get the elf.

Can you send those elves back to North Pole on important elf business then have a new elf arrive with a Letter from Santa saying they are kind elves so won’t be doing naughty things nightly but will be going back to North Pole and reporting on DC sleeping well.

Banish them for encouraging naughtiness.

Honestly it's an unnecessary level of shite.

A bit of disturbed sleep is just part of Christmas- no one is going to die.

It’s one more week. So what if they find them at 2am? Doesn’t matter. My DD (6) had a bad dream the other night and had an advent calendar choc at 3am. It’s not the end of the world.

Chuck the junk in the bin. Your kids can still enjoy toys and food as normal, forget The Magic, it's a made up thing to make women feel guilty. Opt out.

I didn’t even bother with this nonsense. A recent new fad which is so stupid and unecessary. I would be upset and tell them this isn’t ok. Even my 3yo waits until after dinner to open the chocolate advent.

also all this ‘magic’ nonsense. 🤢 a loving family is where the magic is at

Exactly!

Can't they just be told they aren't allowed to leave their rooms until a reasonable hour in the morning (while the elf hides downstairs?) With good behaviour being especially important this time of year.

Obviously the OP isn't going to just stop if her kids love the elf, that's way too harsh.

I wouldn't be averse to the elf going back to the North Pole a few days early, but bear in mind it may not solve the problem. 6 is peak Christmas in my experience, the excitement will be sky high anyway.

My kids love the elf. Do it/don't do it, entirely up to you, but the level negativity towards it from some quarters is weird.

They believe in lots of things with her great imagination, her favourite toy is a dragon, she has talks about fairies with her aunt( we are talking full on planning for a fairy world she and aunt will live in when she’s older) there are also unicorns and mermaids in the mix. However she also realises that Father Christmas we see is (nearly always) an actor so not quite away with the fairies!
If the elves went early I think she would still carry on without out them, as last year and a bit this year, the elves actually did more than I had set up. So she would continue it in my absence (and set something up for younger sibling to see) even without the elves.

The magic of Christmas' is a great big pile of hooey.
Throw out the elves. Tell the DCs they visited for a while but they've now moved on. If you like, compose a note 'from the elves' telling the kids what sweethearts they are and wishing them a very happy Christmas, but it's time for them to return now to the circle of hell from which they came...
Never speak of them again.

Absolutely this.
Or make them do a naughty thing and tell them kids they are banned and won't be allowed in next year.
Put a note out next year with a picture of on elf in a red circle with a line through it and put it on the front door with them!!

I’d just write a letter to say that they’ve had to go back to the North Pole because Santa needs extra help in the toy factory…

I wouldnt take the elf away. Your DC are clearly invested.

I'd just leave the Elf in one spot for one night with a note from the Elf saying they couldn't move and play because your DC was still up and searching for them and the elf can only wake up when the DC are asleep and in their beds.

Same for Santa.

I think if you take the elf away you could still have the same problem with your DC searching to see if they came back.

Just default to the traditional position that a child out of bed won't get a santa visit. They have to be in bed asleep for santa to leave presents and apply that to the elf.

Next year send her a letter in the post from the elves, to arrive late November saying that Father Christmas needs them in the workshop and so they won’t come and stay. Then you’re able not to do them!

And this kind of nonsense, or whatever else my children would conjure up is exactly why we don’t have elves.

It’s probably frustration like I feel because I feel like I’m a shit parent for not doing bloody elves.

Elf leaves a note saying hasn’t moved as they are getting up too early and scared if they been seen moving

no looking for them till after 7am

The elves have been called back to Santa's workshop because he's extra busy, but they'll be back one more day on Christmas Eve (if you can face it).

That way she knows they're not here to search for them, she has something to look forward to, and hopefully you'll have finished work by then and have a bit more time to think something up?

I don't do the elves because it looks like a nightmare. Feel like a shit mum because of it but honestly, there is enough to do in December (plus it's my busiest time of year at work).

Well there really isn't any need for that, all parents do different things and all children get different experiences.

I'd take them and leave a note explaining why- the children keep getting out of bed to find them when it's still dark and so they are going home where they don't have to rush home from the North Pole so fast.

Nope, the whole elf thing is weird.

How people shouldn’t “spoil the magic” for the other kids, how it’s a tradition yada yada yada.

It really isn’t. The elf has only been a thing in the past 15 years or so. And on a major level probably not more than ten years.

I would never have bought into it but I’d equally have told the kids straight that it wouldn’t be happening.

And I’d have had no issues with my kids going into school and telling the other kids the truth about the elf. It’s not the same as Santa and I have 0 doubt that parents would have been grateful 😂

Na, be proud you haven’t been sucked in.

Again, this all just feels very overblown. It's just a stuffed toy you move around the house. Do it/don't do it, entirely to you, no big deal either way.

A little girl I tutor proudly showed me her 3(!) elves the first week of December, and told me everything they'd got up to.
The next week I saw her, I asked how the elves were behaving, and she sort of shrugged and said they'd disappeared. She looked a bit sad, so I made up some rubbish about how it's a busy time of year in the workshop, and santa probably needed the extra help!
The mum told me on the way out, she just got sick of them!