Do you do Elf on the Shelf at your house? We have done it the past 3 or so years and my daughter loves it, but I'm running out of ideas. She's 10 and I'm pretty sure she knows all about how it works, but I think she still wants to believe and have fun like the rest of us. Ours is named Oliver. I've found loads of ideas on Pinterest, and she loved it when he toilet papered our Christmas tree. But, I have forgotten to move him at night and then it's been a mad dash in the morning to cover before she noticed. How about you? What's the elf like at your house? Any ideas that have worked for you? Any flops? What's your elf's name? You know, give us the good stuff. Share some pix if you have them. I'll be back later with some pix of Oliver the Elf from our house.
I wish, my daughter is freaked out by the elf on the shelf. She's 11! lol! But I love looking at what other people do with it.
My kids, who are 15, 13, and 10, never expressed interest and I'm glad. (I never made Santa a big deal either.) I agree with Maribel's daughter that the Elf on the Shelf is creepy. I am impressed by the creativity some people have expressed with him though!
My kids are teens and in HS ... and so when I first heard about it they were maybe around 8 and 9 ???... and it felt weird to introduce something like into the ritual when they were close to figuring out the Santa secret anyway. I'm glad we escaped it truthfully. It looks like a big commitment and a lot of work ... I was lucky I could even remember to do the Tooth Fairy duties when they were little! I too am impressed by all the creativity I see on Pinterest ... but the thought gives me stress in a big way!
we have a new way of toothfairy. tooth must be left on shelf (where I put my glasses each night)! bhahhah and get this...tooth fairy leaves candy! caues it is always in this house...bhahha funny elf video:
No, my kids are all grown, it's just me and hubs here. I love to see what others are doing with theirs. If I had little ones here I would have one, for sure.
The Elf is not my thing. I'm not sure that my 7yo has ever even heard of Elf on the Shelf. Santa is not a big part of our Christmas experience (he just brings one gift + stockings to our house) and I've never told my daughter that her present is contingent on whether or not she is good. Our Santa brings her a present because he loves her just like we give her gifts because we love her. I emphasize that I want her to be good and kind all the time because it is the right thing to do. More power to those of you who enjoy Elfing, though! I'm busy enough with Christmas activities that I would never remember to move it or set up new things every night.
We do- but our Elf (Blue Eyes) is not a naughty elf. He brings an advent card everyday with some sort of activity to do that day. Today his card says to get dressed up & go see Santa! I've done it this way for the last 4 years- making the advent cards is the hardest part (planning all the activities!)- that & finding where I put Blue Eyes away the previous year! Here's a few so far this year!
I did it for a while, not very successfully as I always forgot to move him. My kids both found "Buddy" kinda creepy too. My son cut his hand on the box when we were opening him up the first time (they were old enough to know Santa hadn't sent him) and so we always called him "Bloody Buddy" which I'm sure didn't reduce the creepiness any.
This is brilliant! The first tooth is loose at our house, so we've been stressing about having quarters on hand. He's not a big part of our Christmas either. This made me laugh so hard! Bloody Buddy - I think I'd be scared of him too! We don't do the elf. I hate the Big Brother is Watching part of it, so we eschew it. Plus, I know DH, and the Elf would be doing things like this:
No. My kids are getting too old for that sort of thing, and it makes me a little sad. He sits on the mantle but that's it.
We don't do the Elf, mostly because we don't do Santa, so the elf would be a strange thing to add! I think there are some amazing ideas and great creative projects that many have shown on Pinterest, but I really try to focus on the Nativity and the gift of Jesus at Christmastime.
So, we have done the elf for a few years now. We are not huge Santa promoters like some of you have mentioned, but the girls like the fun of it! Anna Abby Elf has not arrived yet at our house and I am not sure how long I can put it off because the girls began asking already a few days ago. I kind of wish I never started it though because it is a pain in the rear end to remember to move her and to come up with ideas! We re-use ideas sometimes from year to year thankfully. I love the idea of the advent card that your elf comes with each day @amien1 - that is genius! I do love to hear and see their excitement and the naivety in them yet, even at 12, 10, and 9, so I guess I will keep it up for a while yet!
We do Elf. I think he's creepy too, but we have one. We always find ideas on Pinterest , but run out of energy/motivation. This year it will be on me because Jessica is working two jobs. I'm not very excited about it. Jessica bought a supplemental Elf kit at Target that has a grappling hook and lots of other accessories so we'll figure something out.
We have done the elf for the last 3 or 4 years. I usually run to Pinterest for ideas most of the time because I'm just not that creative, especially when I'm already busy. My youngest is 11 and currently on the fence about Santa and the elf, but he's still excited to see what the elf is going to get in to this year. I miss having my daughter here to help me come up with ideas and making sure I don't forget to move him. Our elf doesn't really have a name except "crazy elf". He has done things like toilet papered the tree, rolled down the steps in the toilet paper, zip lined across the living room, hung from the ceiling fan, built snowmen out of marshmallows, done stunt driving on the toy cars, and been duct taped to the wall by DS's army men. He is pretty mischievous.
It sounds like there's mixed reviews on the elf thing. hehe I too am kind of sorry I started it, because it's a pain in the rear to keep up with. But it has been a fun little thing for all of us and my big kids liked helping place him each night. Years ago she asked about the elf because some of her friends had one and she had heard about all the fun elf antics. She has loved having an elf and wrote little notes to him each day. She'd ask him questions about Santa or the North Pole and tell him to tell Santa she'd been good but her older brother and sister had NOT! hehe She even wrote a note to Oliver asking him to host a treasure hunt for her and her little friends when she had a Christmas Craft party a couple of years ago. Even last year the girls were talking about the treasure hunt Oliver had sent them on. I'm kind of sad that after I started this thread this morning, I asked her when she thought Oliver Elf would come. She told me that she didn't want him to come this year. When I asked why, she said that it was too much work to write him notes each day. And that she had touched him last year and he had still moved the next day, so she had spied on us and figured out that we were moving him. WE GOT BUSTED! I guess my baby is growing up... Whaaa! It's bittersweet. I'm glad I don't have to worry about moving him around this year, but sad that she's growing up. I guess Oliver will have to stay on the shelf in my closet for a few more years until I get some grandkids. Then, he can come out and play pranks at Grandma's house and spy on the Grandkids for Santa. lol
Advent calendars are a really good idea for the elf... I'll have to file that idea away for my golden years.