Elf on a shelf

lhgd1989

some of my friends have an elf for their two year old. I'm not sure if my son would even understand it yet and if it teaches a good message that a toy is watching them to make sure they are good..... Any opinions? TIA

emberlee3

I am anti-Elf. 

jnnfrrose6

We won't be doing the elf.  There's enough going on in the holiday season that I don't need to add another thing to my list of to dos.  If I understand correctly, it's supposed to be an elf that keeps an eye on the kid and reports back to Santa.  Why would the elf only be doing this for one month of the year?  Isn't the kid supposed to be good the whole year and isn't part of Santa's magic that he knows this information already?

blondie87

I am going to hold off until at least next year. A lot of my friends that have introduced the elf say that their kids are afraid of it.

smileybabyboy

emberlee3 said:

I am anti-Elf. 

I am also.  I think they are creepy.  

mommymegan831

We started it at 2, but I think she got it at 3.  Now they're 2 and 4, we do it for DD, DS, my 2 year old, has no idea what's going on.  We do it because it's fun, it doesn't make sense, it doesn't teach a lesson, it's just fun.

We went to Hershey for breakfast with santa the day after Thanksgiving, our elf showed up in the hotel and had eaten and left some hershey kisses.  When we got home she showed up the next morning with hershey kiss earings for DD since she had been so good.  She got a real kick out of it and was so excited.  There's a facebook group I'm on and people post pictures alot to give you some ideas.

Crawfish88

This is my first year doing it, and my kid is 5. I just never got around to it. But better late than never! They wake up in the morning super excited looking for it! And I have to admit, it's pretty fun trying to find clever settings for the elf

Jesse C.

*edited by mod*

GillianB32

Yeah I also think elves are pretty creepy. Especially after I read this post about Elf on the Shelf on Scary Mommy, I am not going to participate.

jnnfrrose6

LalaMama81 said:

GillianB32 said:

Yeah I also think elves are pretty creepy. Especially after I read this post about Elf on the Shelf on Scary Mommy, I am not going to participate.

You are missing the point, as is Scary Mommy. 

If you don't want to do it, fine. But don't blame it on you don't have time to Pinterst and elaborate set up. You just move it. It probably takes less time to move the Elf over the course of the month that you spend reading books to your kid in one night. 

You may "just need to move it" and not do the over the top stuff people put on pinterest, and that may "take less time...than you spend reading books to your kid in a night" but I'd still have to remember to move the damn thing every night or morning when I'm either using that time to clean up my house, relax because the kids are finally in bed, or get every one ready to get out the door in the morning.  I don't need to add a hunt around the house in the morning for an elf that's watching my kids to the list.  Santa does a great job without his "little helper."

sugarbear0524

We are going to start doing the Christmas Angel next year, instead of the elf. The angel (you can get a boy or a girl) comes every day (or at whatever interval you want) and leaves a message telling the child to do something for someone else. It might be "Bake cookies for the neighbors" or "Call grandma and tell her you love her". Then it becomes more about serving others instead of the elf watching your behavior and reporting to Santa.

Doubletrouble12

We are doing the elf. My girls are 8 and 2, so the older ones love coming to find him every morning. I have to say it's been fun moving him and deciding what to do with him each night. The little ones don't really understand it yet, but they still enjoy finding him as well.  I think it's fun and I'm glad we chose to do it this year.

dufferoo

I think the elf on the shelf is more for parents than kids, especially when the kids are only 2. We don't do the elf because to me it feels like one more chore to do every day, and it's more important to me to reduce stress than to add another new Christmas tradition. I know other parents who don't see the elf as pressure at all, so to them, I say go for it! Only you can decide which category you will fall in. Do it if it seems fun to you, don't if it seems like it will become a pain.

GillianB32

LalaMama81 said:

GillianB32 said:

Yeah I also think elves are pretty creepy. Especially after I read this post about Elf on the Shelf on Scary Mommy, I am not going to participate.

You are missing the point, as is Scary Mommy. 

If you don't want to do it, fine. But don't blame it on you don't have time to Pinterst and elaborate set up. You just move it. It probably takes less time to move the Elf over the course of the month that you spend reading books to your kid in one night. 

Yes that's right but @jnnfrrose6 is right that you have to think of it. Normally I am a big supporter of all kinds of traditions that for nice childhood memories, but in the case with elves I just don't feel like it's worth. It may just be the way I am educated, though

Meery82

We aren't doing it this year. My son is 2 1/2 and I know he will just want to carry it around. He won't get it. Maybe next year. I'm still undecided.

sarahandeddiejune212008

We have one. My girls are 2 and 4. We started last year. They love finding her each morning. If they've been really good she leaves them a new book. I don't do anything elaborate and she hides up high so my 2yr old can't bother her. She grabbed her the first morning and DD#1 freaked - lol.

Kaelynn91

That thing creeps me out! It has such an evil smile! 

fitmom82

LalaMama81 said:

It may just be the way I am educated, though

What does that even mean?

I have no idea.  It makes me sad that people think of themselves as better than others because they don't get too into different Christmas traditions.  This whole elf thing makes no sense other than it's fun for the kids.  Yes, I do enjoy putting some thought into what the elf will do, but DD also gets some enjoyment over finding him, and even DS, 2, has gotten into it.  

I really don't care if you have an elf or not, just don't put others down for doing something fun for their kids, especially when you don't know the difference between then and than.

myjohnsonboys

This is our second year with our Elf Peter Parker. The two year old does not understand but he loves when he moves and laughs when he's doing something naughty or funny. The four year old gets a big kick out of him. I'm a working mom and I still find the time to move him and have fun with my boys. To each his own.