Elf on the shelf- do they bring dc any gifts?

[Viv0321]

Elf on the shelf- do they bring dc any gifts?

Why on earth would you even bother?

Ours does a wee tiny thing maybe once a week...the advent calendar, a mug, a wee activity kit, a Christmas hair band stuff like that, no more than say £1.50 an item.

Jesus really? First Christmas eve boxes where we have to give more presents and now elves are giving presents all throughout December?? I feel sorry for kids who's parents don't have much money and can only just about scrape enough together for presents on Christmas day. There's just no need for the constant gifts, I think it takes the magic out of actually receiving gifts on xmas day! So to answer the question.. No I wouldn't give presents. I'd do funny things with it to make the kids laugh but no need to keep spending money

No. Elf only plays practical jokes/stunts that don't cost anything! Christmas is expensive enough as it is!

In our house they bring a sweet a day (we don’t have chocolate calendars). Then they bring the Christmas eve boxes too. My kids get a hot chocolate, a book and pjs for Christmas Eve.

They normally bring advent calenders I thought? X

Ours usually land on the 1st Dec and sit on the fireplace with the advent calendars.

Then they leave the Christmas Eve bags when they go back to Santa on the 24th

Ours leaves the Christmas gift PJ's and hot chocolate mix on Christmas Eve.

Not really - we do silly things like have him roll down the stairs in a toilet roll. I picked up two elf activity books last January that I might have him arrive with (they were 50p)

Mine did, was massively over compensating for the first Christmas DD spent with her dad and not me. Problem was, I had to match it every year after and it all adds up and got expensive. She's 10 now and thankfully, knows about Santa. DS is 3 and excited about the elf but too young to remember previous years so I'm seizing this as my opportunity to pull it right back and just do a normal elf this year.

They bring the advent calendars when they arrive and leave new xmas pyjamas when they leave.

@GloGirl

They normally bring advent calenders I thought? X

Last year Elf brought the advent calendar but ate the first one! Naughty elf!

DS’s used to leave him a book as a present on Christmas Eve but he certainly didn’t leave presents throughout the month. If you are just starting with the elf this year thought, my advice is... don’t.

Yes our do. The things we’d buy the kids during December anyway. Christmas crafts, Christmas food, Christmas books, new decorations, Christmas bubble bath etc. Much more exciting for the elf to deliver it than me.

Ours brings DD’s wooden advent calendar, which he then puts a chocolate coin in each morning (he can’t fill it all up at once in case mummy daddy gets hungry and eats them all). He also sometimes leaves a little note in the drawer e.g “today we are going to put the Christmas tree up” or “we are going to visit Santa today”. One morning he brings some craft stuff for making Christmas cards - this year that is a bag of cotton wool, some stickers and some foam snowmen. This year he is also bringing some Christmas cookie cutters at one point but that’s a one off and they’ll last for many more Christmases. He doesn’t ever bring a random present, only items for Christmas activities that we will be doing anyway. Ours is a nice elf. He doesn’t do anything naughty other than occasionally hide, and he rearranges the baubles on the Christmas tree after DD has helped decorate it

We don’t do a Christmas Eve box, and purposely don’t buy DD anything other than craft supplies in the months before Christmas. I talked my DM out of buying a toy advent calendar too as I personally like to keep it to Christmas Day and we try not to accumulate too much plastic.

Just the advent calendar

Aww thanks everyone some good ideas

She brings the odd treat that I would have bought anyway like a Christmas craft or book

Mine brings the occasional treat- Christmas tree shaped crumpets, hot chocolate etc. Once it brought an artificial tree which it put up in the boys’ room while they slept. Once it brought Christmas pyjamas.

Ours brings the advent calendars and xmas Pj's when she arrives on 1st December

Maybe a a chocolate on one of the days but never any gifts.

Def no gifts, as if the children don't get enough.
They just do fun things that make them laugh.
Ours doesn't ever come on the 1st, we vary the date we start it each year, it means there is some suspense and also we don't have to come up with so many ideas for them to do.
We are going to leave the odd candy cane/Christmas item lying around in the first few weeks of December as a hint that they might be hanging around.
My husband started it yet I have to come up with the ideas 🙄

Ours does but only things I would have given the DC anyway so advent calendars, the family jigsaw (we get a new one every year which we work on over December), craft stuff, tickets to the Panto (there's a local socially distanced one hopefully happening) etc. But I wouldn't buy extra stuff for the elves to give.

And it's not every day either just the odd thing throughout December.

Our elf isn't an official elf on the shelf, but she brings the advent calendars and christmas PJs.