For anyone who doesn’t know about this, the elf on the shelf is a relatively new concept which has come from America. Parents tell their children that Santa has sent a special elf from the north pole to watch them and report back to him as to whether they have been good, or not.
Commercial elves can be purchased for a few pounds
. Of course the elf doesn’t have to be situated on a shelf, anywhere were children can see him is fine
. In principle this ideas seems good as long as it is managed in the correct way. I have heard of parents eating some of their child’s advent calendar chocolate and then blame it on the elf! which to me is defeating the whole point of encouraging good behaviour from our children. Some l pranks can be fun if undertaken in moderation.
I have also come across elves being stuck to the fridge with sticky tape by the other toys because the elves were being cheeky
, this , I think sets the right example to children in that being rude or cheeky is not a good way to behave.
The elf on the shelf should be another magical part of Christmas with young innocent children who believe in the idea of Santa which is amazing and I would recommend that parents cherish each moment as Christmas is never quite the same once our children learn the truth, so please parents use the elf on the shelf in the manner it is intended to encourage wanted behaviour.
I have written an earlier post on behaviour management which may be helpful to parents experiencing issues with this.
I would be interested to hear other thoughts on the elf on the shelf.
As always comments/questions are welcome
Karen
x
I guess I don’t think we have to take on every idea that comes from America. If it adds to magic, fine but if it adds to stress and pressure then leave it out.
I’m loving doing Elf on a Shelf this year. I think if it adds to the magic who cares where it comes from. I wrote some of my ideas here for ours, called Mr Ben http://mumversation.com/2017/11/27/easy-elf-shelf-ideas/
#FamilyFunLinky
I have one and the little man loves it but it’s a chore. I totally hear this post.
The Elf would not have worked for us, having a special needs son who has a lot of anxiety around being good, he would not have been able to handle the pressure of the elf watching. I like the idea though. Thank you for linking up to #PointShoot 📸
AWWW looks like you are having good fun doing it. X #pointshoot
My issue with elf on the shelf is different – who has time to organise these complicated elf scenes every day? Our tooth fairy often fails to show until the following night due to being too ‘busy’. WHy set up extra work for yourself when Dec is already a mountain of must do’s??? (Fortunately my kids were older when the elf became popular….I could do it for one but who can be bothered?
My folks are milking Christmas for all its worth at the moment because I’m 4 years old and these are the ‘special’ years when I believe and everything is magical. We’re on day 5 of elf on the shelf x #FamilyFunLinky
We don’t add the pressure of the elf in our home and I know lots of friends who love it and think it so much fun! #sharethejoylinky x
We have never done this and my kids are a bit old for it now. I think it is a good idea.
#TriumphantTales
We love doing our elf on a Shelf but she isn’t one of the “real” ones, I had her handmade for my daughter and she isn’t naughty either! Much better to just have her be magic and fun 🙂 #BloggerClubUK
I love the idea of it, it helps keep kids in line in the lead up to christmas which is a manic time in any event. Also I’ve seen one recently that my cousin used as an idea – her son broke his leg and has struggled with physio so she’s bandaged her elfs leg to help encourage her boy to keep his chin up! I think it all depends on how it’s used – plus it stirs the imagination!
Thank you for sharing these tips with us at #TriumphantTales. I hope to see you back next week!!
I never knew about the Elf on the shelf concept but now mine are teenagers there is no way I wold be doing this! It does look like fun though.
#ablogginggoodtime
Ellen x
Our elves do not report back to Santa because we all know I’ve already bought the gifts and I’m not cancelling Christmas! They just do silly little things round the house and sometimes bring a little gift #coolmumclub
Love the Elf on the shelf, but always forgetting to ruin my house at night for the elf trick.
I sometimes feel like we are the only family NOT doing Elf on the shelf! I’m resisting so far because, well I guess I’m a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to Chrimbo – less is more, and the magic is already there with the tree, the turkey, the gifts, the carrot for the reindeer…if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it!
Thanks for sharing with #coolmumclub
We currently have two resident elves and I kind of wish that they managed to find themselves in more inventive situations each day, but at our house they seem to be quite well behaved and the kids still love them being here. 😉 I think they can be great fun and a lovely part of the magic as you say. Thanks for linking to #DreamTeam x
I’ve been fortunate enough to have not bought into this but pretty much everyone I know has. They have one in my daughter’s classroom which seems to be enough for her! #bloggingggodtime
We’ve never bothered with the whole elf thing as I think it would just lead to even more questions from already unsure son and think it would lead to him not believing a lot sooner. But I can understand why people do it and how it must be fun for younger children.
Thank you for joining #FamilyFunLinky x
Last year we were given the elf on the shelf as a present – a new tradition to begin. This year I introduced them with a story and they’ve been camping out in my daughters’ room ever since. #DreamTeam
I don’t have one at home but at work we have one who gets up to all sorts of naughty shenanigans, it is quite funny. Thanks for joining in with #ablogginggoodtime
My children were grown before this tradition took hold here in America. It’s funny because my mother gave me an elf figure to put on my first Christmas tree. She has long since passed, but I put it on my tree every year. Strange how these new traditions take hold.