Time to Shelf the Elf
To be honest I am sick of remembering to move the elf. It’s ten times worse when we have tucked ourselves into our warm bed for the night. Or making that mad sprint downstairs first thing in the morning when we hear the kids stirring. You have that sinking realisation it hasn’t moved again.
Then it’s coming up with imaginative places to put him day after day, given this was our sixth year with Eddie (we adopted elf in the shelf in 2012!) I feel we have done our bit and I am more than ready to bid him a fond farewell. We are really struggling to think up original things to do with him! It’s sounds a bit bah humbug I know but we embraced it for a good few years. I don’t want to drag it out any longer.
How to say goodbye?
I am not sure how the goodbye will go on Christmas Eve.
I hinted today that its time Eddie moved on to a new family with younger children as mine both know (in theory anyway) how they should behave. It’s a lot of pressure for them, always being on their best behaviour because otherwise Eddie will report back to Santa.
Yes, Christmas traditions can be lovely, creating those lasting memories with your children. But this one is wearing a bit thin now. All those threats about Santa hearing what they have been up to can really take the shine away from Christmas. It’s not just an elf these days either you can now buy an elf surveillance dummy camera, so children think they are being observed ALL THE TIME!
The concept is so commercial
It’s got a little out of control and grown to epic proportions. The merchandise has gone into overdrive with different costumes, props and accessories to buy since we first started. What was initially quite a simple idea has snowballed into something much bigger!
I don’t know how I feel about it. It’s took away some of the enjoyment for me. Instead it feels like everyone is in competition to have the best ideas, finest costumes and even the most elf’s. Why settle for one when you can have three or four!?! Boys and girls in different skin colours and why not purchase a few elf pets just to cover everything. It’s hard making ends meet anyway, now we feel pressurised to spend a small fortune kitting out the elf.
Don’t get me started on the gifts, the elf can be very generous too. One year we got behind that idea and did leave little treats throughout the month, but I have decided my two already get so much on the 25th it kind of ruins it for me spoiling them throughout December, so this year he just left them one little present each.
We have our memories
I am glad we were introduced to the elf on the shelf concept though, I just really feel this year that its time to say goodbye. To make up for this we have tried to be a bit more inventive with our elf, doing a few more exciting things before his final exit. Some elf’s are so naughty but Eddie has always been relatively well behaved.
I am not keen on the elf’s that smear Nutella everywhere pretending its poo! Yes, my boys find toilet humour hilarious, but I am trying to ease them out of that as they approach starting secondary school, so our elf antics are usually quite tame (and boring perhaps for some!). But each to their own though if you have an elf and love the tradition and what mischief it gets up too, great good for you.