How do you explain not having a elf?

[ItsJustASimpleLine]

Really don't want to have to do elf on the shelf. Can anyone help with and explanation for why we don't have one that DD would believe??

Maybe say it's because she's too good rather than too naughty. Negative was my mother's default setting too when I was small. It wasn't pleasant.

Do children really think the elf is real?

I tell them we had one but he moved back to the North Pole because of Brexit and rising anti-immigrant sentiment/social tension.

I told my 2 year old who was curious about them in the shop “oh no we don’t want one of those! They spy on you!!”

We don’t do it either just like we don’t do Christmas Eve boxes. Can’t do it all. I do however do a book advent which mine adore.

I've just told mine that I've asked santa not to send one here because they are too messy and the children in this house make enough mess already! The reality is I barely get an hour to rest in the evening once kids are asleep before dd wakes up so I don't fancy using most of that faffing about with an elf. They are reception and year one and their teachers are doing it anyway. And dd too young to know. Maybe next year.

I can't believe the attitudes of shitting on someone else's idea of a fun Christmas.

I did do elf on a shelf, but not once have I ever posted a pic on any social media platform.

I did it because my Mother was a miserable bitch about Christmas and yet my Dad went overboard to compensate. They were not divorced. It was awful to see her sneer at his enthusiasm which made us feel guilty about enjoying Christmas. So Dh and I agreed we would do elf on the shelf as a fun thing for our children (who are now teens so it was a long time ago)

We showed that even a good elf was naughty sometimes just like actual children.

Our elf brought items that I wouldn't usually buy like Coco Pops, but most of the time he just hid and they had to find him.

The whole concept of "being good" for Father Christmas could be seen as only good children are rewarded. I wonder how children of low income families feel on Christmas morning? Like they haven't been good enough?

You could simply say “we don’t have an elf, we have the Christmas fairy, and everyone knows fairies are invisible when they visit”

I just said no. They got over it.

Not that many kids have them.

Last year I think nearly all the kids in my preschool had them!

I really don't even like the whole naughty and nice thing, and giving presents with conditions, so the idea of sneaky elves and Santa cams and all that bollocks just doesn't sit right with me.

Dc asked a couple of years ago why we didn't have an elf come to visit and I said that one had come to the door and I had sent it away! Explained there were enough fairies, elfs etc living in the house so we didn't need any more! I'm a bit woo though so the kids are used to me coming out with comments like this! Not been mentioned since thank fuck

What the heck is an elf on the shelf? This is new to me.
It seems to be a recent thing so no explaining. Its not in your Christmas culture so just leave it.

wait... santa cams?

Op we did our own elf our way.

Ours came with its own letter and explanation as to why its there. Ours came for 1 week, not to spy on the children but to simply see what sort of toys like playing with in case santa 🎅 doesn't have all the toys on thier list (he never does).

Ours came for a week and went on Xmas eve. It said she may or may not return. So maybe a comprise is finding your own elf, doing your own letter (tons of lovely Christmas headed paper)... And perhaps have a short stay of only a few nights.

I must admit... It was tremendous fun, dd was 6 and loved it. But a week was more than enough.

I find it comical that people are talking about elf’s being fake but gladly go on with Santa . Who is also made up and fake . It was a new tradition at some point and I say that as someone who doesn’t even have an elf .

I just say it's a made up game played by parents. They're in all the shops anyway so it's pretty obvious.

Do the children who have them really believe they are real though?

I wonder this too.

Don't the children all know that it's just a game they are playing?

"I tell them we had one but he moved back to the North Pole because of Brexit and rising anti-immigrant sentiment/social tension."

The elf is in no way compairable to Santa who has been around for centuries. Elf has been around for around ten years at most since, oh, I don’t know, the advent of social media? Let’s not pretend that killing this marketing ploy is in some way spoiling a long-held tradition, it isn’t. Elf on the shelf is nothing more than a marketing ploy and an excuse for people to do the “aren’t I such a wonderful parent” poses on social media.

Nothing at all wrong with killing that one for anyone IMO. I’ve never actually heard of anyone doing it away from MN anyway but if my child had been of an age to ask why we didn’t do it I would quite happily have told him that the only reason the tradition was invented in the first place was for people to make money. Wouldn’t have cared a jot if that’s what other kids had been told. It’s the truth.

I can't believe the attitudes of shitting on someone else's idea of a fun Christmas.

Santa is a tradition that has been around for 100's of years and we all (mostly) play the game of make believe. Most years ds heard from some one that Santa wasn't real but he kept believing until he was around 8-9ish.

I have absolutely no problem telling my child Elf on a Shelf isn't real and is just a new game some parents buy and play to remind children to be nice. The Santa thing works well enough without adding extra complexity into it and expecting everyone to play along and work out a story for their children is unreasonable. If parents want to make out he is real its their lookout to work out what to say to their dc when their friends tell them he isn't.

In that case summergems you have no problem at all with your children being told Santa is not real . After all you won’t are a jot what other kids tell yours as it the truth .

They came in after my first round of children grew up. Now I'm on round number two and I think this will be a tradition that I don't adopt. I really think it's taking Christmas traditions too far. I can't bear my Facebook feed in December either! Surely by 5 kids oretty mich realise it's bollocks anyway?

*care a jot

Tradition my arse