There’s No Elf On Our Shelf

I am the type of mom who loves themed play dates, kids’ birthday parties, coordinated outfits, festive food, Christmas trees in every room, family Christmas pajamas, and décor for every holiday. I have been accused of being a little “extra,” a description I embrace. So, the confession I am about to make may be a bit of a shock to those who know me.

We don’t have an Elf on the Shelf.

Before I am accused of being a hater of the elf, let me just say that I absolutely enjoy scrolling through Facebook and Instagram to see what my friends’ elves are up to. I am amazed at the level of creativity parents put into their elaborate elf scenes. And I love it when the teachers have elves in the classroom. (Maybe that’s because it helps me stay off the hook.) But the elf certainly does come with a lot of extra responsibility.

The story of Elf on the Shelf is pretty heartwarming. The book and toy based on a family tradition that a mom created for her twin daughters has exploded in popularity since its release in 2005. Elf on the Shelf has been awarded Best Toy Award, Book of the Year, and National Best Books Award. The elf has earned a position as a featured character in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the brand has expanded to include a tv special and a birthday edition. There’s a reason it has been successful. Santa’s little scouts have found homes with families all over the country, adding a little extra magic to the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. As a mom, I am happy to see the success of the product created by a mom and her daughter.

Also, as a mom, I simply cannot add one more thing to my to-do list between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, a time when I already feel like I’m spinning plates that are bound to crash down at any second. And just as the elf has exploded in popularity, its antics have exploded in complexity and effort for the parents. In the original story, the elf hid in different places around the house each night after “flying home to the North Pole.” But that’s not the elf I know. That elf leaves an elaborate web of mischief, tricks, plans, schemes, and often messes in its wake. And woe the day someone accidentally touches the elf, it loses a hat, or the family pet thinks it’s a chew toy.

Today’s elf is extra. As I said before, I have no problem with extra. I love extra. But I need to apply my extra to the rest of Christmas that I’m responsible for facilitating.

For a few reasons, I never started the tradition of the elf with my oldest child. He never asked or seemed to care about it. Then, by the time my second child was old enough to care, I had enough self-awareness to know that I would not be able to keep up with it. In fact, I had already tried a few times to complete a cute daily preschool advent activity with my children and never made it past December 10th. If I can’t do a daily activity for Jesus, I know I can’t do it for an elf.

Once you start elfing, you can’t stop. So now that we are busier than ever, I am thankful that I had the foresight to forgo the elf tradition. My children are approaching the age where they will outgrow the elf anyway. Does that make me sad? Yes. It also makes me sad (and stressed) to think about being responsible for the elf’s daily antics.

Instead of feeling deprived by the elf missing from our shelf, I hope my children will remember the sweet traditions and happy times I am working hard to create. And if they want an elf when they have kids, I will support it. I will be happy to help position said elf in a tiny sled on a snowy pile of potato flakes carrying a crafty note with clues to a scavenger hunt that will lead them to a festive breakfast with hot chocolate, powdered donuts and candy canes imported from the North Pole. And I will love every second of it because someone else will be moving the elf and cleaning up the mess.

Are you an Elf on the Shelf mama? Tell me what you love (or don’t love) about the elf.