Elf on the Shelf - slightly annoyed

[design_mom]

I had a friend who once put the elf inside a floor lamp. She forgot, turned it on, and the elf was burning!! Luckily it didn't catch fire..just kind of smoldered. Also lucky the kids were already in bed...she sent her husband to the store to buy another.

That's pretty much exactly what happened to ours, except it was a table lamp. My husband put the elf there, and I said something about at the time and he said "We never turn that lamp on anyway." Well, that was the day he did! There were no flames, but his clothes and butt melted all over the lightbulb. And the kids were still up. My son thought it was funny, but my daughter was nearly hysterical -- not because Daddy melted the elf, but because he TOUCHED it. And that meant he'd lose his magic.

I think the elf that's sold as the Elf on a Shelf is kind of creepy looking. Hallmark had some cuter posable elves, so I got one of those instead (My daughter's friend's elf wasn't an official EOAS either, so she was fine with that.) But, stupid me, it made the elf REALLY hard to replace at 8pm on a Sunday night... when Hallmark is closed... and they probably don't have the same kind of elf I bought the year before anyway. I stayed up half the night raiding my sewing scrap bin and making new clothes for the elf to hide the burn-hole in his bum! And then I had to write a letter from the elf explaining that everything was OK and since he was was touched during a true emergency he could keep his magic. Crisis averted.

Why, oh why, did I ever agree to this elf in the first place?!

 

[Malibustyle23]

Elves really should not be naughty. We try to teach our kids not to do naughty things so why would it be ok for their elf to do them? It's funny for grown ups but it ain't happening in my house!

Maybe it's because I've never read the book but I never understood that either. Our elf is here is watch them and ensure they stay on the nice list. How would a mischievous elf help that goal?

Our elf just sits and watches. He moves every night to a new place to watch them.

 

[bethy]

I hate the elf. I never wanted one in the first place. I actively feigned ignorance for two years. "Honey, I just don't even know where they come from? I don't know how your house gets picked to have one." But when my (then) 7-year-old came home practically in tears and said "My friends say all you have to do is wish for one... and I've been wishing and wishing, but he still won't come." I had to bite the bullet and get one. Then she went around the house demanding that we all thank her because *she's* the reason we got an elf... because *she* wished for it. Gee, thanks kid. Thanks a lot. ;-)

Our elf mostly just moves. He's not nearly as active as other elves. He brings candy canes once a season... and he does "something" about once a week. The rest of the time he just moves around. Quite frankly, I don't quite understand how some people do their elaborate stuff. Since you're not supposed to touch the elf during the day and he doesn't move till the next night -- can you just not use your kitchen table/toilet/whatever for the rest of the day. I can bet that if we left marshmallows or pretzel sticks or graham crackers out, the dogs would have a nice snack... and I would imagine the poor elf might get caught in the mix. Wouldn't that be traumatic. (We semi-melted our elf once. He hung out too close to a lightbulb. I thought my daughter was going to be scarred for life. She was practically hysterical.)

She's 11 now and is "wishing and wishing" that our elf would do something more exciting... but I think she's going to have to keep wishing for that!

I have an idea for you! At age 11 why don't you put her in charge of the elf? I'm serious - it could work out really great! I have a 10 year old and we call her our Christmas Elf because she loooooooves Christmas and is the driving force of our decorating and Christmas activities. It's been a win-win for all of us

 

[justgrace]

I think it's a cute idea, but I hate when people go too far with the Elf and think it's funny. It makes me think, "Really???" For example, I just saw a picture of an elf posed to look like he was snorting cocaine. Is that really necessary?

 

[Wishing on a star]

Sorry, but I will come out and say that I just hate the whole 'Elf' thing.
A spy... really!????

I have the absolute CUTEST elf that my mom got for me (and each of my siblings) when I was young, several decades ago.
I actually had to totally refurbish and outfit him... Sewed him new elf clothes that almost perfectly match what he had, etc.

How could somebody come up with such and ugly elf and an equally ugly 'spy' idea!!
Ugggghhh!!!

Okay, never mind... off my silly soapbox now!

 

[wilkeliza]

I think it's a cute idea, but I hate when people go too far with the Elf and think it's funny. It makes me think, "Really???" For example, I just saw a picture of an elf posed to look like he was snorting cocaine. Is that really necessary?

I think those are usually adult only households.

 

[ronandannette]

Elf on the shelf was cute in the beginning but thanks to Pinterest it is becoming a who can top who.

I'm so glad we only have Macabee on the Mantle who is not suppose to do silly things or report to anyone on the kids but rather serve as a cuddly companion that hangs out with them during this month especially during the 8 days of Hanukkah. We don't have kids but have one hoping the nieces and nephews will ask about him if they see him

Maccabees is fascinating and important historical account, but it hardly conjures up images of a "cuddly companion".

 

[maxaroni]

When DS was in kindergarten, his teacher told the class that leprechauns come into the house at night doing silly things. Things such as turning the milk green, putting chairs upside down, decorating ceiling fans with sock and/or underwear, toilet paper around, etc. ugh, are you kidding me??? Something else to remember and it became whose leprechaun outdoes whose.

So glad DS was too old for the elf.

 

[JoeA]

Tell your kids it's their fault and the elf doesn't care for them!

(Joking!).

 

[wilkeliza]

Maccabees is fascinating and important historical account, but it hardly conjures up images of a "cuddly companion".

He is pretty cuddly though.

 

[ronandannette]

He is pretty cuddly though.

 

[ruthie_]

I do not have EOAS. I refuse! Fortunately, my kids have not found out that you have to wish for them! (that would get me too!)

My DS5 has a Grinch in her classroom that moves similarly to the EOAS, so she is happy with that, and although my DS8 wants to get one, I plan on just avoiding EOAS altogether until I have to get one. He has already asked this year, and I have ducked out of the conversation smoothly....

I hate those things! So creepy! And weird - they report back to Santa. He already knows what's going on... he doesn't need an EOAS to tell him anything! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

 

[WorldWacky]

I so regret getting an elf...

I forget to move it or do a prank almost every night and then I have to race my kids downstairs to hurry up and move it!

That was me this morning! Totally forgot to move them last night.

 

[RDawn]

Our elf is also well behaved. As others mentioned, a naughty elf makes no sense at all. I am happy that we have an elf because my son LOVES her. He talks to her & shows her videos on his iPod. It's very sweet, and I know that this phase of childhood magic will not last much longer.

 

[cijay]

Loop a small noose around his neck and hang him from a doorway with a note that says "I can't take it anymore."

 

[Tigerlulu]

Well, I have a non-naughty elf update. We've been forgetting to put the elf out to arrive and my 8 year old has been looking for him the past few mornings. We went to get the elf out (we don't store him with Christmas decorations since he goes away so much earlier than the decorations do) and he's gone! Apparently my daughter caught a glimpse of him in my husbands dresser so he moved him to a safer place. And forgot about the safer place.

So now I'm facing either blowing the entire Santa thing or blowing 30 more bucks on this thing. And she really loves Santa!

 

[srferson]

So what's the deal with not being able to touch it? Why would it then 'lose it's magic?' No kids here so it's not something we do anyway, but it seems like not being "allowed" to touch it would just make it even harder. What if he falls off a shelf? Does he lie on the floor until the middle of the night?

 

[Diznygrl]

So what's the deal with not being able to touch it? Why would it then 'lose it's magic?' No kids here so it's not something we do anyway, but it seems like not being "allowed" to touch it would just make it even harder. What if he falls off a shelf? Does he lie on the floor until the middle of the night?

Telling kids that touching the elf would make it lose its magic is just a way of making sure the kids don't mess with it. If kids were allowed to touch it then they would just play around with it all the time like a toy and the whole idea behind the elf would lose its meaning. I don't really know what people do if the elf falls or something but I would imagine it's not too big of a deal to just leave him there until the kids go to bed. Or maybe you could just scoop him up with a dustpan or something.

 

[Gracie09]

Our elf just moves around. The girls love finding her in the morning. On Christmas Eve she brings donuts to say goodbye. I don't have time to set up scenes for her.

 

[Tiffylv]

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