Elf on the Shelf

[Maddie2802]

My DD will be 3 this Christmas and starting to understand all things Christmas!
I'd love to do elf on the shelf for her and was wondering what other people do and for any ideas please! 😊

Our elves aren't spies, they're just visiting to make a bit of mischief and give the DC something to giggle about on a dark winter morning.

I wish I had never started the bloody thing! It's year 4 this year and my youngest 2 absolutely love elf on the shelf. You will forget and get up at stupid olclock to move the bloody thing! I had all these grand ideas from Pinterest to do the first year and after two weeks was totally fed up of them 🤣🙈 we have 2 elves and a baby now so it's getting harder to come up with ideas for them all 🤦‍♀️

We got our elf years ago, before it was really big in the UK and he still visits every year, probably something like ten years now. We also have the dvd, which explains that the elf flies back to the north pole every night and you might find him in a different spot each day. He isn't naughty in the dvd so most of the time, we just move him to a different spot. Much easier than trying to come up with something elaborate every day & probably the reason we still don't mind doing it. Occasionally we will catch him still still 'playing' or he will play a trick on us but we try not to make that the expectation. Though now our eldest is older & starting to help with Santa duties, he will probably start getting naughtier! The favourite thing for both of our DC is underwear on the tree. If you do start it, don't use all your ideas in one go!

@surreygirl1987 this is my friends blog about the kindness Elves, she has done it since they were toddlers.
www.oliviaandmollysworld.com/post/the-cringles-our-kindness-elves

Aw, I've just read this blog. Thanks so much for sharing! I think we will definitely do a version of kindness elves. I'm toying with getting normal Elf on the Shelf dolls (and using them like kindness elves) though so that my kids don't wonder why all the other children have different elves... am I overthinking this?? Does anyone else find the EoaS dolls creepy or is it just me? Does anyone's little kids think they look creepy?

@snugglyblanket in the DVD does it say that the elves report back to santa? What's the 'story' if you don't mind? Trying to work out if it's worth me buying for my boys if we're going down the 'kindness elf' route. Thanks!

[quote surreygirl1987]@snugglyblanket in the DVD does it say that the elves report back to santa? What's the 'story' if you don't mind? Trying to work out if it's worth me buying for my boys if we're going down the 'kindness elf' route. Thanks![/quote]
It's more about belief & the spirit of Christmas, I don't think behaviour is really discussed. There's a boy who is losing faith in Christmas so the scout elf goes to help & all the elves meet up in the north pole to discuss what their new families are like. It's quite short but there are a couple of sequels too (which I haven't seen).
Kindness elves are nice too. We have friends who do that instead.

I do elf on the shelf but it’s not a spying elf and it isn’t naughty- I don’t want to trash my own house. He just hides or appears somewhere- in a shoe, sat in DS’ fire engine etc. Sometimes the elf brings a small gift like a hot chocolate stirrer.

Basically I have tried not to peak too soon with elf ideas!

@snugglyblanket
It's more about belief & the spirit of Christmas, I don't think behaviour is really discussed. There's a boy who is losing faith in Christmas so the scout elf goes to help & all the elves meet up in the north pole to discuss what their new families are like. It's quite short but there are a couple of sequels too (which I haven't seen).
Kindness elves are nice too. We have friends who do that instead.

Aw that sounds lovely! Thank you!! I might just get the normal elf on the shelf, but gear it towards kindness rather than the spying and reporting to santa thing. Just remembered I got the elf on the shelf book from a carboot sale a few weeks ago... might see if I can edit the wording! Will probably give the DVD a try. Thank you!