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??

What is it that you do?

Posts about the elf should be banned.

For those saying it’s “too commercial”. You know you don’t actually have to buy the branded Elf on the Shelf don’t you?! We started doing it this year and our children have loved it. I certainly don’t think “it’s shit” as some posters have said.

We’ve been doing elf for about 8 years now so it’s a tradition mine remember. Mine doesn’t report back or do naughty stuff. He just dicks about with toys, brings craft stuff and little treasure hunts.
Mine absolutely adore the elf and look forward to it probably more than Christmas Day.
I’ve had the questions about why x doesn’t have elves I’ve just said “not all houses have them, some don’t want them”
That was accepted.
I don’t judge anyone for doing it or not doing it, but I do think it’s mean to burst someone else’s tradition - whatever that may be.

I don't do elf on a shelf but we have an elf door(little fairy door) this moves around the house and leaves treats, the advent calendars, letters from Santa, the odd candy cane/chocolate coin. I tell mine that the Elves visit to check on their behaviour.
They are more than happy with this.

Please someone tell me....please!
What is it?

We make a little elf door for the elf to get through. No door, no elf. Simple. Just tell your dd you don’t have a door for him. This is only the second year I’ve done an elf. Nothing elaborate. I just put him in places around the house doing something that will amuse my dd (doesn’t take much!). Climbing on the tree, colouring with her toys etc... he left pancake making things on Christmas Eve last year. It’s no big deal. If you don’t want to do it, don’t. It’s just a simple bit of fun!

@minipie you’ve got a DH problem not an elf problem! Evening elf relocation is a shared task.

LTB

So, wait, because other people I barely know have picked up this new tradition that means nothing to me, I have to lie to my kids? Erm, no.

This is it in a nutshell. If you believe the moon is made of cheese, that’s your right. If you want to teach your children that that is so, I will not go out of my way to undermine that. I will not openly ridicule that belief and I will not allow my child to do so either; that would be rude and insensitive of the feelings of others. Will I, however, rid my house of cheese if your child comes on a play date because “it’s a piece of the moon”? Will I insist my own child refers to it as “moon” whenever your child may be present? No, I won’t.

I've told my DD that they go to the naughty kids that Santa needs to keep an extra eye on in the run up to Christmas.
As she is a good girl he doesn't need to send one to her.
Job done.
It does hep that some of the families we know that have them the kids are a bit naughty so this backs it up.
HTH

Maybe every house has elves but the more magical ones have evolved to become invisible...

Please someone tell me....please!
What is it?

Have you heard of google?

'Because we're not American'.

It takes half an hour every night tops to do something fun for children to wake up to. Your daughter is 5 and has asked you about the elf how could you even say no.

More like ten minutes! I get that it's a bit annoying but if my child was going to get joy and happiness about it I think I'd just suck it up and do it rather than handwring about fake excuses.

let’s face it DH won’t be the one doing it will he

Why not? My DH has come up with far better ideas than me and has brought back some great outfits from the US that we can't get here. It's great fun - we love it. If you don't like it, don't do it.

Because it's just clever marketing.

Just say you didn't invite the elf into your house, if all your dc's friends have them.

DD (8 years old) has been asking for an elf. Apparently you can buy them in the shops, then you leave the box untouched and it will climb out by itself in the night like a fucking Chucky doll

She already struggles with anxiety and perfectionism and every year we have to reassure her that Father Christmas isn’t really scrutinising her behaviour for slip ups, so we won’t be getting one.

I told her that I don’t feel comfortable having one in my house (true), that I don’t believe they really come from the North Pole (true) and that I don’t believe there is really a naughty/nice list (also true)

Despite all this she is convinced they are real and that we must have a really shy one.

TLDR: doesn’t matter what you tell your DD, she’ll believe what she wants anyway!

Some families are allocated an elf, your family has been allocated a fairy...FC is an equal opportunities employer after all.

We dont do it ,they are scary looking lol. My kids havent asked me why we dont have one.i would just say the elf cant go to everyone's house they are too busy x

Incidentally, I do think they can be great fun and plan to get a really naughty one for us to enjoy tongue-in-cheek once the children are all non-believers.

Don't tell her they aren't fucking real!! Bloody hell. Just say your good enough so Santa doesn't need to send an elf to keep an eye on you. Telling them it's not real is just cruel on the other kids

Yes my children think they are very very real. I must admit I totally regret it. However I started and can't stop, however yes they totally believe it x

Half an hour? I'm clearly doing it wrong! Tonight I took a bite out of 2 jammie dodgers and chucked the elves in the biscuit tin! I still hate them though and am never doing it again

We've had tasteful Mailag elves since 2010. They arrive with a notepad and have been brilliant at getting a really reluctant writer to put pen to paper. I've just had a moment reading back & looking at the drawings, etc .
Sometimes they go crazy but mostly they just rearrange the cereal, sit in toy cars, whatevers to hand. At one point they will drink too much fizzy pop and vomit glitter.

Never been on social media or talk about it to friends, it's my fun, better for me than endlessly researching presents or planning elaborate meals. It's not a competition, pick your own pleasure & enjoy that.
It will be a sad day when there is no glitter resisting the housework.

We've always had ONE visit from the elves on Christmas Eve. They come ONCE to deliver the Christmas Pyjamas.....they leave them on the doorstep in a nice bag along with some other bits like a Christmas mug and some sweets etc.

Do that instead?