Have you or your household become a slave to this #ElfOnTheShelf business? Does the little guy or girl keep you up at night? Have you maybe paid off your oldest child to keep the ideas fresh and make the move every evening?
I can barely manage to make sure my children’s lunches are packed with fresh and healthy snacks each day, make an interesting and satisfying dinner every night and then clean it up. Then there is homework patrol after that. Oh, and making sure showers are done, nails are trimmed and clean undies are put on each day. How in the heck could I keep up with the antics of a mischievous elf each night, let alone create new and exciting ways to taunt my kiddos into being good dare this elf report them to Santa? I wish it were that easy to make them behave, but I am sure they would manage to trick that darn elf one way or another.
So, there is not now, nor will there ever be, an elf on any shelf in this house. At least not while I am around. Sorry kids. You are lucky if we get the darn tree up before the 24th.
Now, I know what you are thinking, but I don’t think of this ban on the elf business as being Grinch or Scrooge-like. Nope, not at all. I think eliminating this self-imposed stressor before it has a chance to drive me bonkers is the smart thing to do. Besides, the only one who would really benefit from it now is the youngest and he has never, not once, asked me about an elf hiding somewhere in the house. Thank God. I just have to pray that he doesn’t run across a “Top Ten Vines of Elf on the Shelf Parkour Fails” on YouTube. I might be doomed if that happens.
Despite my overall feelings of animosity for the whole #ElfOnTheShelf deal, I do think some of the things parents have come up with are pretty clever. Maybe I am a tad jelly of the fact that they are so inventive when it comes to putting their little Mimi or Jimmy or Silver Bells or whatever the heck that dude or dudette’s name is, in perilous, yet often hilarious situations. I can admit that. I know I am creative, otherwise ya’all would be reading the HuffPo right now and not this entertaining dissertation. But, I do sometimes wish I had the inclination to come up with some ingenious tricks for that stinkin’ elf to do. Alas, I do not.
Now, I have read a comment or two from parents who think those of us who are anti #ElfOnTheShelf are some kind of party pooper and to them I say, “poo to you!” But, I would probably use some other words. Non-elf appropriate words. I am not a party pooper. Have you seen our Disney photos? I am a hoot! But there is just something about wracking my brain trying to be cunning and cagey with a stuffed toy every single night during the busiest time of the year, to receive maybe five minutes of payoff that will not last until the kids go to school, let alone all month long, that makes my already exhausted mind want to shut down permanently. Elf on the Shelf? I would rather go Elf Myself. 😉
Are you an Elf on the Shelf devotee or detractor, like me?
Merry Christmas!
FT&PD
Suz
**Disclosure: This post is NOT sponsored. All opinions are my own.
I love our elf. I held out for a while and didn’t see the point, but when we finally got one I have fun with it. I don’t think there is a right or wrong. It doesn’t matter to me if you have one or not. But we have fun with ours 🙂
I am 100% with you!-I H-A-T-E them!
I liked him at first but i think it got out of hand
I thought it was a cute idea to begin with, not really having thought about it too much and it did look like fun. I was surprised when I asked my son and wife if they were getting one and they adamantly said no way. They realised they would put added stress on themselves. However, last year an elf did appear, seems my grandkids so desperately wanted one that they would have bought one themselves so mum & dad caved in and added the extra stress.
I AM NOW YOUR MOST ARDENT BLOG FOLLOWER.
“So, there is not now, nor will there ever be, an elf on any shelf in this house. At least not while I am around. Sorry kids. You are lucky if we get the darn tree up before the 24th.”
Now this to me sounds like a real Mom rather than some Stepford Wife/Keeping Up With The Jones perfectionist, professional Mom.
We all need to #StopCOMPAREnting and if you don’t want to put up some ridiculous toy that will probably scar people’s kids for life as they believe their toys come alive at night (does anyone not remember CHUCKY) – YOU DO NOT have to follow this ridiculous fad.
However, I have to give it to the marketing people for the company that makes these dolls. They have made a boat-load of money off this fad.
Anyway, I agree with you and there will never be an Elf-on-the-shelf or anywhere else in my house. EVER!!!
Amie, your comment made my day! Thank you for reading through my whole post; I appreciate it. I love your reference to the #StopCOMPAREnting as well. I think that many people get swept up by the photos of the elf on social media and feel they have to step up their own game to keep their kids happy, when exactly the opposite is true. I do think that everyone should make up their own minds about this and I will not be rude to someone who loves to do it, but it is most definitely not for us.
I do agree with you though that the marketing genius behind this is a true original. And rich now. Filthy rich.
We have never done Elf on the Shelf.
haha I have not done elf on the shelf (my girls are 4 and 2 so still to young to understand) but I will not ever be doing elf on the shelf. aint going to lie that thing scares the crap out of me lol
LOL my mom doesn’t like the elf on the shelf either. I think he’s cute!…in a creepy awesome way.
No elf! No! No! No!
clear enough? 😉
I agree with you, completely. It’s never been a tradition in our home and shall never be; I only started to hear about it a couple years ago. And its okay. I don’t need to do this… And to those who do follow this tradition, good for you. Have fun with it! 🙂
I can definitely see where you’re coming from. I am quite indifferent about it too. Like you said, some people are very creative with it, and I appreciate that at the same time too, but you probably won’t find Elf on a Shelf in my house.
I would never do Elf on a Shelf – I think there are enough Christmas activities and this guy seems a bit scary.
I’ve never been a fan of this… that Elf on A Shelf business has me baffled. I guess I lean more towards the meaning of Christmas and traditional.
I still make my kids watch Christmas shows, as a matter of fact my 20 year old came over to get a coffee (she has no maker) and I made her stay and watch Frosty & Frosty Returns with us…. lol.
I clean up enough messes, I don’t need to create another with an inanimate object …. I’ll stick to the old style of doing Christmas.
I am not anti-ELF. I am just very lucky in my opinion that my kids are completely unaware of the phenomenon. Once less thing on Mommy’s plate.
I don’t have much experience in the Elf on the Shelf business! It sounds fun but I can see how it gets tricky!!!!
Great post and I do believe having an Elf may add fun and joy for the kids it is still extra stress for the parents.
I bought the Elf on the shelf a couple years ago on boxing day for my granddaughters. They love it and I personally don’t think it will scar them as my daughter doesn’t use it for the girls to behave better. It’s just a little magic. I totally respect the family that don’t want to use it but they should respect the family that use it. It all come to #StopCOMPAREnting. What works for a family doesn’t work for another.
I just had a comparenting talk with a friend of mine about 3 days ago. She’s a single Mom to an almost 2 year old. She’s really struggling, and comparing herself to friends who are married or in relationships.
This has been something going on since the beginning of time, I don’t think it’ll ever stop. We are always striving to get by and do the best we can.
Some of my coworkers who were doing Elf on the Shelf last year are not doing it this year saying there are already enough Christmas activities for their families.
I agree with you, I don’t know how this elf has become such a hit everywhere. I think the makers release more hype so they can make more money
I was at the bookstore and seen they had elf on a shelf.. over heard a couple arguing about whether to invest in that or not… the hubby piped up “we clean up enough after kids do we really wanna clean up after ourselves MORE just to make a point”… he had a great point! lol
Maybe some people have the extra energy and creative energy to have an elf on the shelf and devote time to it, but it’s not the type of thing I want to deal with. I’ve never been much for going with trends anyway.
Haha. I feel the same way about all elves on shelves. I’m my world, hell is other parents.
I like the old traditions,and has for that darn Elf i don’t care much for him either!
I love this post so much I can’t even stand it!!!
Haha, thanks Lena. I knew you would enjoy it!
I do the Elf at our house but I do not use it as a tool to make my kids behave, it’s just to add a little fun, excitment and if at all possible a little more magic to Christmas. Now as much as I love to get creative and look forward to his return, after about a week in I question my sanity as to why I ever started it. I will confess that sometimes I have jumped out of bed at 2am realizing that I forgot to move that damn elf so I now set an alarm for 10pm. While I am still confessing I once set him up in a whole skiing scene only so I could break his leg the next day and take a week off.
I do admire those who can come up with creative ways to place the Elf each night and I would be lying if I said I haven’t been tempted to try him out. But I have prevailed and not done so. My youngest is almost past the stage of wanting him to appear so I am hoping he forgets about it this year. Ironically though, the past two years at school his teacher has done it, so that takes some of the pressure off of me, LOL.