Elf on the Shelf - slightly annoyed

[kimj88]

I find them kind of creepy,lol

This, times 10!!! Like a tiny creepy little clown!

 

[leebee]

Walking through Target yesterday, I had to laugh when I read the sign: "Elf on a Shelf, a Christmas Tradition." HAHAHA! DD is only 22 and we NEVER heard of EoaS when she was young; how long does something have to be around to become a "tradition" these days? I really hate the elf. I think it emphasizes the "more more more" attitude that's so prevalent these days. It bothers me that nothing can be simple anymore. Even Disney trips; every time I read a "what can I do to make my child's Disney trip SPECIAL?" thread, I shake my head in amazement. It's Disney! or, in this case, it's CHRISTMAS! How much more exciting and special does your life need to be?

Besides, I am way too lazy to do this. I had enough to worry about, just getting everyone out the front door in the morning. If it'd been around then, for us EoaS would have fallen into the same category as Rug Rats: I didn't need a "role model" to introduce my kid to bad behavior!

 

[sam_gordon]

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

Really? Those are the only two options?

How about "DD, Santa must have decided you're such a good girl that you didn't need watching so close, so he sent your elf to another child."
OR
"DD, Santa told Mom and Dad to keep an eye on you ourselves and report to him via email. The elf was needed at another house with more kids and only one adult."
OR
"DD, because there are so many kids around the world, Santa must have needed the elf to help make all the toys."

 

[deedeetoo]

Walking through Target yesterday, I had to laugh when I read the sign: "Elf on a Shelf, a Christmas Tradition." HAHAHA! DD is only 22 and we NEVER heard of EoaS when she was young; how long does something have to be around to become a "tradition" these days? I really hate the elf. I think it emphasizes the "more more more" attitude that's so prevalent these days. It bothers me that nothing can be simple anymore. Even Disney trips; every time I read a "what can I do to make my child's Disney trip SPECIAL?" thread, I shake my head in amazement. It's Disney! or, in this case, it's CHRISTMAS! How much more exciting and special does your life need to be?

Besides, I am way too lazy to do this. I had enough to worry about, just getting everyone out the front door in the morning. If it'd been around then, for us EoaS would have fallen into the same category as Rug Rats: I didn't need a "role model" to introduce my kid to bad behavior!

My kids are 14 and 17 and I never heard of Elf on a Shelf when they were younger. I can't imagine doing this. I would probably have told my kids it was fake and showed them the boxes in the stores. I'm fine with letting them believe in Santa but the spying elf is just a marketing creation, not a tradition.

 

[Nayan]

Really? Those are the only two options?

How about "DD, Santa must have decided you're such a good girl that you didn't need watching so close, so he sent your elf to another child."

My friends daughter was in tears every day the elf didn't show up, so she crafted a letter from Santa explaining he already knew how well-behaved and polite she was and didn't need to be spied on. Santa also told her that if the elf did show up, she should be worried because that means she hasn't been on her best behavior and it makes him sad that he has to send his elves out to spy on them. It worked like a charm and now she hopes that the elf never shows up.

 

[nugov2]

My friends daughter was in tears every day the elf didn't show up, so she crafted a letter from Santa explaining he already knew how well-behaved and polite she was and didn't need to be spied on. Santa also told her that if the elf did show up, she should be worried because that means she hasn't been on her best behavior and it makes him sad that he has to send his elves out to spy on them. It worked like a charm and now she hopes that the elf never shows up.

Wow, kinda mean. That would be like a mom saying you better be worried if you didn't get one because Santa must not like you. Why make it that dramatic and nasty.

I have never seen something cause such extreme reactions. Some of the haters are just as overboard as the people crafting scenes for 40 minutes every night before bed. The elf is cute, but if you don't like it don't get it. We have had it for 6 years and with my youngest being 5 imagine it will be 6 more before we are done. The kids think it's funny, their excitement and giggles looking for it make the 2 minutes I spend with it a night worth it. He usually plays usually one prank a week, unless im feeling ambitious. He leaves their advent calendar the day he comes and one small special treat one other time. The pranks aren't nasty or mean spirited. Last year he had his face in an Olaf picture, took a marshmallow bubble bath, tp'd the tree and other silly things.

 

[HM]

At my sister's house, the Elf hides. The kids have to find him. There is no mischief.
At my brother's house, the Elf just moves around like yours.
I like the idea of just saying he's lazy. Maybe you can do one or two silly things over the month when you have time. (Something like, having him unroll toilet paper or paper towels and sit in the middle of the pile of loose paper?)

 

[Nayan]

The 'don't like it don't get it' isn't so easy when kids hear their friends elves have shown up and they are left wondering why he hasn't shown up at their house. I thought the letter was perfect, as it keeps the spirit of Santa without adding another thing to the to-do list. I would have probably done what the above poster said and showed it was fake if it had been around when my son was young.

 

[havaneselover]

We've had our elf Pablo for nine Christmases. The worst is when the kids write him a letter and expect him to write back. ugh!

 

[nugov2]

The 'don't like it don't get it' isn't so easy when kids hear their friends elves have shown up and they are left wondering why he hasn't shown up at their house. I thought the letter was perfect, as it keeps the spirit of Santa without adding another thing to the to-do list. I would have probably done what the above poster said and showed it was fake if it had been around when my son was young.

I personally think there are nicer ways to explain why you don't have one besides making it out like all the kids who have them are "bad" and need it. I don't really buy into or even reference that part of the Santa story. I don't see why if a child wanted one so badly you felt compelled to make up a story to make it sound like it was negative or a bad thing you wouldn't just 1. Get one and do the bare minimum or 2. Take responsibility for not wanting it.

If I didn't want to celebrate Halloween I wouldn't say that all kids who participate believe in evil spirits and the devil to make my kids no longer want to go trick or treating. We don't do the leprechaun traps and I don't explain it away by making it a negative thing for those who do choose to participate.

 

[Daisy62]

We were doing elf on the shelf before they were sold in stores years ago. My neighbor had "heard" about putting one out and doing fun things with it. We bought these bear stuffed animals that were pretty much the same size as the now elf on the shelf. They were even dressed line elves. We had a blast doing them as sometimes we made an outdoor thing where both elves were up to no good. We had them camp out in one of our yards and the kids loved it. Was fun the first year to come up with so many fun and outrageous things. The second year not so much. Lol. The third year we told them that Santa said the elves had earned their right to retire and could stay with them forever and we no longer had to do stuff. lol

 

[pjlla]

First of all, my "kids" are really no longer kids.... DD is 20 and DS will be 18 in January. We never had an EOTS when they were younger... never heard of it.

That being said.... few years ago I heard of families that were doing an alternative to EOTS.... Kindness Elves. Elves that brought reminder of the the real reason for Christmas and that reminded us to bring extra kindness to the world. I was so enamoured with the idea that despite not having little children, we got our first visit from Joy, the Christmas Kindness Kitten that year! (Small, orange/yellow stuffed kitty... slightly smaller than a beanie baby.... bought for 25 cents at the thrift store, carefully washed, and she has a satin Christmas ribbon around her neck that says "joy"!)

She brought a note, explaining who she was and why she arrived. That year (for half of Advent) she came daily bringing notes about the Christmas story and with suggestions of small KINDNESS-es that we could all do (buying extra groceries for the food pantry, helping shovel snow, etc). She even did some kindnesses herself, like making beds or doing a chore for someone! DD especially loved the idea and found a small basket and made up a "bed" for Joy to retire in every evening! We didn't have any of the traditional EOTS rules like "no touching" or "traveling to the NP every night"..... just a sweet subtle reminder of the important things to remember during the holidays. She does move around the house and has a note or message (and sometimes a small treat) every day.

Coincidentally, that was DD's freshman year of college. She moved back on campus right after New Years to work on a special project and was literally one of only TWO people in her entire dorm for those 3 weeks.... so wouldn't you know it, Joy sent her cousin, Amigo, (orange tabby beanie baby kitty) to keep DD company during those quiet lonely weeks!! (And as it rturns out, Amigo was the only companion that went along to Bermuda with DD this semester!)

When Joy returned to our home last Advent, she brought a small scrapbook of photos of things she had done every month while she was away from us.... (driving the car, grocery shopping, visiting the beach).... and a note every day reminding them to be extra kind PLUS a scripture verse to read for the day (and she conveniently left the Bible nearby and opened to the right page every morning!).

This year Joy will be returning with some new ideas (a daily BIBLICAL VIRTUE to read about and think about), plus some fun stuff (last year she played cards with Buzz and Woody!). She has already sent an email explaining that she is super busy and will be returning for the annual visit next weekend (DD is finishing her semester abroad and returns 12/5).

Neither of the kids mentioned the email to me without prompting and neither seemed particularly excited, so this may be the last year that Joy visits. But maybe I just caught them at busy times. We shall see. Maybe it is time for Joy to go visit a family with younger children!

Anyhow.... that is MY solution to EOTS !....................P

 

[bethy]

I lived in Germany for a while as a child and so instead of doing this Elf, we do St. Nicholas Tag - December 6. One night and we are done - and we just put some candy and one very small trinket in the kids' shoes.

Back to the Elf - even thought I am not at all a fan - I can sympathize as to why people enjoy doing it - or at least why they *start out* enjoying it. This is a Disney board, after all - Disney people are much more likely than the average person to be into magic and creativity - especially the cheesy childhood kind if that makes sense. Just being on this board makes us all at least a llttle over the top, IMHO. I get it.

 

[eh24fan]

So glad we missed out on the whole Elf thing. I was the bad mom who sat my youngest (3rd grader at the time) down after Christmas and explained that we bought all the presents. Just couldn't keep up with the stress and pretense any longer.

I'm THAT parent that is happy when my kid is over Santa. Seriously, it's so much easier. My 15 year old was about 8 I think and I was so happy. LOL Now my little guy is going to be 9 in January and I think he STILL believes...as in actually does and not faking it to keep it going. LOL I am so ready for him to be over it.

 

[wendy46001]

Add me to the mean mum list. No elf for you. I just told DD that just like St. Nicholas, Christmas angel, etc. Not every house hold celebrates all the Santa traditions. (thank you Epcot for pointing them all out and her getting that we just don't do some things)

 

[DopeyDame]

I have a 3 and a 6 year old and there's no way that creepy elf is coming into our house. I don't think my kids had ever heard about it until this year. Sadly, DS's teacher is doing it! Which actually surprises me a lot given that it's a public school.

 

[MrJT]

A couple of years ago, DW found a Mickey Elf for the shelf. He did his rounds that year. Last year, she added a regular elf. Mickey was basically a small plush, and the elf himself is more flexible, and able to pose better. It was much more challenging to find activities for two! They both made their return this morning. It's gonna be rough trying to keep them interesting, and doing things that weren't done before.

 

[cmarsh31]

Two years ago, my DD came home from Kindergarten CRYING. Her classmates told her that she couldn't get presents from Santa if we didn't have an elf to report back to Santa. GAAAH. No, I did not get an elf (my DS was 8 at the time and already a skeptic). I reminded her of all the other Christmases we'd had, without an elf, and assured her that we'd be fine again this year.

A 1000 times more magical, last night, we were Jingled by Sparkle Snowflake-something-or-other that had heard what wonderful kids they were all year and wanted to give them a few small things and remind them to show kindness to a friend who might be lonely on the playground, etc (hot chocolate mugs, crafty stuff, a hat, etc) - from my neighbors next door who wanted to do something special for my kids (they had cleared it with me a few weeks ago). My DD was sooo excited!

 

[KateP85]

I refuse to get one, and I so hope my son never asks about one. I have two friends who post on Facebook EVERY SINGLE MORNING what their elf did that night. I can only assume these parents have very little else to do because the stuff is so elaborate. The elves are so creepy too, they look like they're plotting to kill you in the night.

It's bad enough that my parents brought my son a huge wooden advent calendar in the shape of a Christmas tree (the thing is about 4 foot tall, it was $150! For an advent calendar!) and it has these huge boxes to put treats in each morning. Not just a little chocolate or something small, these boxes would fit a small melon. I hate having to think of things to put in them each morning; I'm never organized enough to think of ideas in advance, so it's whatever I happen to find the night before. This morning DS got one of those individual boxes of Cheerios. The only plus to this crappy gift was that he opened them and ate them, leaving me to sleep for a few more minutes before he demanded breakfast.

 

[mrsheppo]

I don't have the elf on a shelf. Too much to do at this season without throwing that in the mix. I do have an elf that was given to me the year DD was adopted. A much less creepier looking elf. This one just sits on an end table during the Christmas season