Dislike 'Elf on The shelf'.

[Oblomov]

I don't get it.
And it is' everywhere'. Endless facebook posts.
It really is silly.
Bar-humbug me.

I haven't posted any pics of elf, or mentioned him on fb !

It's for us as a family, harmless fun to make the run up to the holidays more memorable!

Xmas eve hamper is just a wrapped up box, with a family film, New jammies & some treats & hot chocolate. Minimal cost, and more an experience than consumerist gifting

We don't have elves but have a snowman and an elf - they don't bring 'stuff' and they don't watch the kids and report to Santa (in our house xmas gifts aren't conditional!!). I love the sillyness of the whole elf on the shelf thing, a lovely little bit of magic. In an age where most kids are glued to pieces of technology I love that people keep the magic alive by adding some imagination and excitement into their kids days! But if its not for you that's fine, no one is suggestion every one should do it, or that xmas isn't enough. I do think some people take it to extremes though - I'm on some of the elf on the shelf groups and people buy crazy amounts of stuff for their elves to bring. We don't even have Santa bring much in the way of gifts (1 small gift and the rest is from us - and usually only a handful of presents).

a snowman and a reindeer i mean

I'm just back from holiday in Florida and noticed in the supermarket there was a new thing...."Reindeer on the Roof". Plush toy reindeer in cardboard box shaped like a stable. You put him out so that Santa's reindeers know where to land....deer oh deer.

Why does Norad look so fake?

We are going to do Elf, but I have also wondered whether this wouldn't make DD not believe....he is coming on Sunday, we are adopting an Ikea one.

I can't stand 'Elf on the Shelf'. We were given one by now ex-sister-in-law who I didn't get on with, so somehow was always tainted by that and our one is ugly and creeps me out. Plus I kept forgetting to move the wretched thing each night and having to sneak around in the morning to move it before the kids realised. Hoping I can get away without him 'visiting' this year - the kids haven't mentioned him yet, and I'm hoping it stays that way.

"I look at the Elf on the shelf (and lots of other things too) in shops and think, "This is all going to be landfill soon". Big containers of poorly made tat, shipped over to the UK, where be buy it, then throw it away sad"

Agree with this.

Ours is coming with a letter that will state he may not be back next year. he may never be back, he may be back every year he will not know, but he is here this year and he hopes he has fun/

Op careful what you say never say never too, i felt like you a few weeks ago now look at me

"This is all going to be landfill soon".

^ agree, but do you freecyle? its huge in our area, we are massive freecylers, always trying to recruit new people in.

We're not doing elves or any other made-up characters except Santa, and even with him he only tends to get mentioned fleetingly, we don't make a big deal out of him. We have a small 1st Dec hamper when I bring out the advent calenders, Christmas books, mugs and teatowels, plus a new DVD and this year a jigsaw. No Christmas Eve hamper here, I just don't think it's necessary, the DCs are revved up enough by then.

Our elf, Larry, is back for the second year. He's a bit of a laugh and my children love him. I don't understand the landfill comment, surely that can be said for any Christmas plastic decoration?

I'm rubbish at remembering to move him so my children have very low expectations of Larry. No flour snow angels here, gah the mess, can you imagine.

This entertained me last year www.peopleiwanttopunchinthethroat.com/2011/12/over-achieving-elf-on-shelf-mommies.html

We're not doing the Elf as I know once started it would be expected every year. There would also be tears from DS when the Elf left so just not worth it for us. Either that or the idea of it creeping about in the night would terrify him. I've nothing against the idea, it's just not for us.

We are doing the christmas eve hamper for the first time this year but it's just stuff we would be getting anyway such as pyjamas, hot chocolate, a relaxing dvd, a new decoration for the tree and a little cuddly toy. The only difference is it's going in a little box or hamper this year. He's going to be excited enough already so nothing major in there.

DD started talking about Elf today and I thought 'some bastard at school is on MN and doing the bloody elf'. Luckily turned out she meant Zelf. (Which looks like plastic tat)

I think its sweet for younger ones, but mine are 7 and 8 and I can't be doing with starting new pretend stuff at this age.

I am v strict about making Advent about looking forward to Christmas but pacing things - last weekend we went to carols and readings, this weekend we are putting up the tree, thinking about going to a Santa Lucia thing, choosing presents for others & Salvation Army etc. And I have banned all talk of advent calendars that come with toys. Presents arrive for Christmas not for every day in December.

We tend to get new PJs at Christmas, well you've got to get new ones at some point so its nice making it Christmas Eve.

Yeah,Christmas eve hampers are new but I've been doing Christmas eve pj's for ds (14) since his first Christmas and always from the elves.Only heard of elf on the shelf this year after having spent the past couple of years wondering why people were getting elves and making them do things!

I think it's a bit insane and ruins it

Well the new PJ's are only worth doing if you are slobbing out all day in them. Coming from a family of farmers we were dressed by 6am (and plus the house was freezing).
We normally put our Christmas best on as soon as possible. Think a nice party outfit and a glass of bucks fizz at breakfast is more festive than PJ's that have been worn all night.

I am pretty Bah Humbug about quite a lot of Christmas stuff but I love Elf on the Shelf. We don't have an Elf, we have a penguin with a Santa hat on, and he doesn't been do very interesting things, but I really like the game.

to me. doing elf on the shelve isnt about making christmas better or buying extra presents.
it about making happy memories, and it is just another tool for that, just like going caroling or doing an easter hunt..or going to the park.

and fair enough you dont like it or dont want to do it but dont snear at people or judge people who are just doing something fun for their children.

Personally I think the Elf is grim. SO I don't do it.

I was contemplating this, us advent gifts but then didn't get organised and so we are sticking with our Christmas Eve PJs. Our DC love these and it is the one day of the year they willingly have a bath because they know their pjs wi ll be waiting. We only do pjs though.

I think elf on the shelf is a bit of a fad, I'd never heard of it until a couple of years ago, I'm not that keen because I like family traditions that evolve themselves rather than things that are so planned out? I love Christmas, but the elf thing isn't for me

Why are pj's only worth doing if you slob around all day?

Nothing beats spending Christmas eve snuggled on the sofa with hot chocolate and Polar Express while wearing awesome Christmas pj's

It doesn't mean you wear them the following day,that's not the point of them (or any pj's for that matter!)

DD (7) loves the elf. I wasn't going to do it, but a dear friend made me an elf last year and DD fell in love. She's having a ball with him this year.

I get why people don't like it though.

Don't buy one then.

We have The Elf. My sister sent him.

I'm doing a hamper, too. PJs, a cone with a sachet of hot chocolate and marshmallows and a chocolate spoon, a DVD and a Christmas jumper and hat.

Meh, it's not something I want to do - Xmas is a pretty simple affair in our house - but I don't particularly hate it either. It would be too much for my easily-overexcitable DCs but I do enjoy reading about what other people's elves get up to.

We don't do a hamper as such but the DCs do get new Jammies and things to do before bed on Xmas eve. The focus for them isn't on 'what they get' they are just excited that the elves have been really.

As an aside how weird is it that autocorrect tried changing 'theelves' (I missed the space bar) to 'fuselages'