Elf on the Shelf

[alotofyarn]

Do you do it? We don't plan to, so hopefully E doesn't get disappointed if he's at her friends' and cousins' houses, and not ours.

A friend posted this on facebook, and I thought it was hysterical:

It seems like EVERYONE has an Elf on the Shelf these days. At my house we have Dust on the Shelf. If you're naughty, you'll get a can of Pledge for Christmas so you can dust it yourself.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

Funny! We don't and won't do it. We don't really do Santa either - we are trying to emphasize the fact that you should be good because it is the right thing to do! Not because some scary elf is going to tattle on you! I'm also kind of "ba humbug " this year...

[Thirteen]

Funny! We don't and won't do it. We don't really do Santa either - we are trying to emphasize the fact that you should be good because it is the right thing to do! Not because some scary elf is going to tattle on you! I'm also kind of "ba humbug " this year...

I don't elf, for similar reasons. Tattling isn't promoted in our house.

Now Advent... I get into that. Songs, readings, candles, nativity scenes, Christmas Eve services, volunteering. I'm all about it!
If you are practicing person, it's so cool to be pregnant during Advent (DS1) -- such a special time for me, thinking of those experiences.


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[MsSassyBaskets]

The elf creeps me out, and it also smacks of "look at this new tradition we invented in order to sell you something!" I think it's stupid. But I also probably won't do Santa, and I definitely won't do the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, and whatever else is out there. Kids can invent all the magical shit they want, and that is awesome and creative and I'm not going to be a downer about it, but I'm also not going to feed them pre-ordained imaginary shit just because it's the cultural norm.

[alotofyarn]

How does it work when you don't do Santa or the other make believe people when all of the other kids do it and talk about it? I'm kind of on the fence about it.

[medpedspouse]

I don't get EOTS. If he is a means to make sure kids are "good" then why do parents always have him doing crazy "naughty" things?

I guess it is something fun to do with/for your child but all I notice is an extra "to do" and pressure to be witty for the parents. This is already a crazy season. Furthermore, if you are into the Christian aspect of the holiday and post on FB about keeping Christ in Christmas...doesn't EOTS add another element to make the season more secular?

Again, don't get it...but I figure it is because I do not have kids.

[Pollyanna]

We are not EOTS folks either. Seems like lots of fun but I don't have the time. We do Santa but don't make a big deal about him.

[poky]

I'm glad it didn't exist when I was a kid. Seems really creepy, though if it's an older kid shared-fun-with-parents thing, I can see it, I guess. We did Santa, but it wasn't a big deal, he just brought the stocking stuff (fancy pencils, deck of cards, candy bar, that kind of stuff), and I'm sure there was some explanation for why he always used the scraps of wrapping paper from last year's presents, but I don't remember what it was.

I just saw this for the first time today; I guess it was just a matter of time? http://themenschonabench.com/

[Vanquisher]

No fucking way. We don't do Santa, cause I already find that to be creepy as fuck. This just ups the shit outta that.


Heidi

[Bittersweet]

We do it and the kids LOVE it. The first thing they do when they wake up is look for "Baby Cookie." We don't do the "he's watching you" and reporting Santa bit. 1) because it's creepy; and 2) because we don't really do Santa either. Haters gonna hate

[ides]

Ha ha. We don't do it. O has been asking for it this year because they have read the book at school and he hears about others elfs, however I have told him that I don't have the desire to add that task to my list. He seemed to understand.