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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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Original poster

What is this Elf thing?

27 replies

Gramgram · 03/12/2015 17:04

I'm baffled by references to an Elf on a shelf. I didn't have one when I was growin up the 60s and 70s.

I didn't have one for my DCs. Have I missed out? Have I failed my DCs by not having one? I just haven't got a clue. Please enlighten me.

OP posts:

RockCrushesLizard · 03/12/2015 17:23

I'm with you - I keep seeing references to it, but have only the vaguest idea what it's about!

jamtartandcustard · 03/12/2015 17:26

Santa sends an elf down from the North Pole to watch over the girls and boys and report back to Santa each night with whether they've been good or bad that day. He was only "born" in 2005 so it's a newish tradition. Sometimes he can be naughty though and each morning will be in a different pose x

dementedpixie · 03/12/2015 17:26

It's an elf that arrives on the 1st December and then plays pranks each night while you are asleep. I have never done it and don't intend to either. There are a couple of people on my fb with them. Seemed to start in the last couple of years

Caprinihahahaha · 03/12/2015 17:28

It's a recent thing to me - only figured out what it was a few years ago in here.
It seems to me to be a mechanism by which parents can ensure their child's Christmas is magical by scaring the shit out of them. You just bung an elf toy on the shelf and tell them he is santas grass. And he is watching!

I always think of that ventriloquists dummy in the Anthony Hopkins horror film .

Original poster

Gramgram · 03/12/2015 17:31

Thanks, all I used to do with my DCs was tell them that red contrails in the December evening sky were Father Christmas taking his reindeer for a trail run.

The Elf thing sounds like a lot of work to me.

OP posts:

dementedpixie · 03/12/2015 17:32

Some funny and inappropriate elf on the shelf pictures have also been seen on fb

bodenbiscuit · 03/12/2015 17:34

I think it's awful - I've seen people I know on FB writing notes to their children saying the elf watched them being naughty last night. It certainly doesn't offer anything positive to Christmas IMO.

iklboo · 03/12/2015 17:38

DS got an elf puppet for Christmas this year. We're doing 'find the elf' instead of the elf watching him. Having fun thinking of silly places to put it.

jamtartandcustard · 03/12/2015 17:42

I'm doing the elf this year for the first time but only once the Xmas holidays start (19th Dec) as I couldn't manage from the 1st! I think it will make that week waiting for Santa just a bit more fun and exciting x

ElfontheShelfIsWATCHINGYOUTOO · 03/12/2015 18:51

capri!!

Look do whatever you want with it.

I didnt like the idea of elf watching al la capri and visions of chucky.

I did get dragged into whole fun idea of waking up diff things being done by naughty elf.

I got a lovely sweet elf from ikea. I made my own letter which basically said something like " Dear Elf Junior, its come to our attention you have never had a visit from an elf before and we would like to update our records as to your tastes and interests to keep making syre we give you suitable gifts, espcially when we cant get things on your list. to this end, we have sent our young elf x to stay with you, she is magic, dont touch her and most importanlty please be aware x is young and young elves can be very naughty....if she does aything too bad do send herback. your elf will retrun to us on xmas eve with the report. love FC

ElfontheShelfIsWATCHINGYOUTOO · 03/12/2015 18:52

our elf stayed 5 days just ebfore xmas two years ago, 5 days was as much as i could manage but it was GLORIOUS so much fun for dd!

we are not doig it this year either but will next year.

ElfontheShelfIsWATCHINGYOUTOO · 03/12/2015 18:55

op it is lots of work and before going to bed have to remember elf, i could only manage 5 days and its why we have not had it for 3 years but as said will do next year.

curriegirl · 03/12/2015 18:58

It depends how you do it. Our elf doesn't do something everyday (I'd forget) and he brings DS his advent calendar each year. He doesn't watch or spy. He is just here to play and get up to cheeky pranks.

He goes back to Santa on Christmas Eve.

Caprinihahahaha · 04/12/2015 11:17

That letter does sound very sweet Elf.

ElfontheShelfIsWATCHINGYOUTOO · 04/12/2015 11:32

Thanks Capri it works for us and also explains about the other gifts...she did LOVE it.

the point is , if you want to try it, make it your own way.

eternalopt · 06/12/2015 09:44

What I don't get is that the elf is there to watch and report back to Santa and bad behaviour....and then everyone goes to great effort to post photos of the elf being naughty himself??!? Looks freaky to me anyway!

HoneyDragon · 06/12/2015 09:56

We have an elf. He's a little sod, I keep trying to send the little sod back to Santa, but much to the children's delight he thwarts me daily.

It's possible I missed the good behaviour enforcer elf memo that other parents got.

Tomboyinatutu · 06/12/2015 10:12

If my parents had used this when I was a child I would of been terrified! An elf watching you and moving when you are asleep? IMO it is cruel. Yes some kids may think it's fun but some will be scared of it, I know mine would. My son only had to hear about the elf on a shelf from someone and he was too scared to go to bed. I explained exactly what it was and I haven't had any bother from him since about it, although he can't understand why a parent would do it (he is 7)

BishopBrennansArse · 06/12/2015 10:14

PurpleDaisies · 06/12/2015 10:16

I love that picture bishop.

NoahVale · 06/12/2015 10:25

to the uninitiated, like me, it sounds like a weird idea, but then I guess if you were an alien and had to be told about sitting your child on a fat man's knee you might be surprised

Davros · 06/12/2015 16:17

I'm with those dogs

Scaredycat3000 · 06/12/2015 17:49

So the entire point of Elf on the shelf was to sell books and it's main character as a soft toy, the Elf. In the book the Elf is sent by Santa to watch the children and report back on their behavior? But most people who do Elf on the shelf don't have the book, have any old Elf and don't tell their kids about the whole Santa/Elf spying thing. And it's a tradition started in 2005. OK.

BishopBrennansArse · 06/12/2015 18:25

He's a git.

Davros · 06/12/2015 19:09

Larfed out loud st those pix

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