Anyone who doesn't do the elf thing, what do you tell your kids?

[YouLookLikeStevieNicks]

DD is only 2 so I don't really need to worry about this just yet.

But a friend said to me today "ooh she will be old enough for an elf next year" and it hit me that I really don't want to do it. I can't even explain why, I love christmas and I want to make it as magical as possible for her, but I really don't want a bloody elf!

Is it a really big deal these days? Will she be the only one in school without one?

We never did the elf or Santa- which aren’t even Christian afaik.

Both are kind of creepy.
A home invader at night, while you’re asleep.
A live in spy constantly watching you and then getting away with bad behaviour.

We did the traditional Hanukkah as we are Jewish.

DS is 5 and hasn’t asked for the elf yet
But my party line is I’ve told Santa the elf isn’t invited to my house as I have enough mischief in the house as it is, so the elf can watch from outside.

We don’t do it, we don’t do Santa either.
My 4 year old has already told half her class that Santa isn’t real, she’s yet to drop the Elf reveal thankfully

What a pile of old crap the elf thing is. My DS never asked but if he had I would have said 'that's a Christmas game some people like to play, but we don't'. Made up stuff about being watched by elves...?!? Seriously?!

Ours don’t spy as that seems really odd. Dd does wake up every morning to them having done something silly in the night, brought her something, just moved somewhere-on the trampoline or sat on Dhs motorbike or with a craft or letter. She loves waking up to it, it’s a hell of a long month though 😂

Never heard of it untill i came to mumsnet.
Load of pointless crap to me.

Creepy little fuckers Yep.

We never had one. I think my dd mentioned it once, and said she didn't much like the idea of being spied on in her own home. 😂

Dd is 16 now but we never did it. She was talking about this the other week when we spotted an elf in the shop and she said she just assumed that the kids at school who were talking about elves moving around their house were imagining things or making up stories. We never said anything about not doing it, we just didn't do it and the kids never asked us about it.

I don’t get people saying they’re creepy or they spy on you, ours aren’t anything like this

I don’t do it. My daughter asked years ago and I just said ooh no I couldn’t have a naughty elf making a mess in my house! She just accepted it and we’ve never done it. We do have an advent calendar that is shaped like a toy soldier so he appears on the 1st December with a letter saying he’s come for advent and will leave on Xmas eve. On Xmas eve I put the stockings by it and then put it away on Xmas night when I get the presents out. They always get excited about whether he will come back each year. I think that helps because when there’s any elf chat in school they can say they have a soldier. It’s minimal effort for me though.

My daughter is 8, we have previously done the elf (started lockdown and regretted every second) but I explained not every family gets one, this year, as luck would have it, the elf has took retirement (wrote a letter to explain) and won't be back, no one to replace him unfortunately as short staffed in the north pole. I did explain he only comes if child needs a visit, if generally good child Santa knows on nice list and therefore doesn't need an elf...

When did these elves even become a thing? My kids are in their early twenties and it wasn’t a thing in their childhoods.

I have made it known to family members that if they ever bought one, the first morning it would be found by the front door with his bag packed.....

@Livinginabitofabubble I just think their little faces look sinister. I've never much liked puppets or ventriloquists' dummies either.

I aint starting that shit!

Ooh!! I just looked it up - and it has a name. Automatonophobia. Well I never.

I never did it. They did it at their school though. I just said an elf didn’t come to our house

I didn’t want to

child came home from
school. Sad because all the kids had elves and discussed the stuff the elves were doing

we caved. I hate the concept

Probably not helpful but my DD has a December birthday. I used to tell her that kids with December birthdays don’t get an elf 🤣🙈

Come on; these are very obviously spies from Westminster! Don't fall for it, and make sure your children don't either!

I've always thought it's more magical if you don't actually see these things. Like as soon as you see this stuffed elf kinda kills it.

I was the same as you, we have a DD4. We did it last year and I must admit it was magical for her. She got excited every morning to see what the elf had done! I did do lazy things lol non of this fancy stuff they go crazy in the US!
I honestly think you’ll enjoy it and it’ll only last a few years until she one day gets to old and you may look back on that time and think it went so quick. Enjoy x

Ds is 11 and we've never done the elf.

He used to like the ones at his primary school they put out but he never mentioned he wanted it at home (thank God!), so we didn't.

I have never done it because I wouldn’t let those squealers inside the door.

Gdcs are still primary age, dd has never done it, and AFAIK they haven’t asked.

FC is still a Big Thing, though.