Has anyone managed to get rid of the sodding elf?

[Blankiefan]

DD is 8. She is very much looking forward to the elf coming again this year. It'll be year 4 or 5 - I cant remember.

When does it stop?
Any ideas for getting rid of the little Fecker?

Can you get the reindeer instead? Only have to cuddle that!

Ours was locked down at the North Pole last year.
Hopefully it still is!

(Note. It was bought by PIL, so not self inflicted)

She is 8. She knows the truth.

Our elf arrived when DD was 3. She's nearly 12 and is still very much looking forward to his annual visit

Our Elf posted DS a card when he was 9.5 saying he was old enough to leave him now and go and help another kid....

Keep going OP. She'll appreciate the magic.

My 9 year old Dr decided this year she doesn't believe in Santa anymore,I said great the elf doesn't have to come anymore 😁

We told our kids the elf was so old he had to retire, they got to keep the soft toy and could play with him whenever they wanted to now, went down a treat.

@CoffeeChocolateWine

I haven’t done this myself, but I recall one idea about the DC receiving a special letter from FC about the elf’s retirement after X years of service. On their retirement the elf is granted a Christmas wish and their Christmas wish is to live in your house as a ‘real toy’. That way the kids still get the elf but it’s without the nightly nonsense for the parents!

This is exactly what we did 😊

Missed this boat, If I stick one up for my 16 and 18yo, will it make them tidy their rooms?

My 9yo is teetering on the brink of not believing (I don't actually think she does). My older children definitely know. But they all think it's very funny - my elf now brings ridiculous or lovely things for them and the pets and even me through December and they still like finding him - I never went in for all the footsteps in flour business so it's not too arduous really

@rrhuth

All this fucking 'good' 'naughty' talk, feel sorry for these poor kids.

@rrhuth how is this limited to the elf? Surely the whole FC is his naughty or nice list, he knows if you are sleeping shit anyway so he is literally watching you from afar. I was far more fearful of God growing up in my very Catholic household. FC could stop gifts, God however was deciding over my eternal soul

We did do the elf but it was meant to show the children that no matter how "good" you were you could still be naughty sometimes. I mean FC has the elf back every year despite him peeing in your milk or writing on your mirror with shaving foam.

And no, the elf has not retired in this house, the children will not let it die and one of my sons is at uni. So be prepared. He just moves about, hides in the fridge, brings cereal I would apparently never buy, sticks googly eyes on the fruit etc.

Hang onto the magic.

I have never personally used the good/naughty rhetoric around FC either.