If all your friends are doing it and you think it is silly……..do you jump on the bandwagon?

So – it is almost that time again. Elf on the stupid shelf time. All of my girlfriends do it. They post on FB about it, they pin ideas on their boards about it and try to outdo each other every year in some sort of creepy puppet competition.

What IS Elf on the shelf you ask yourself? Well…… let me tell you……. The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition is a 2005 children’s picture book, written and self-published by American author Carol Aebersold and daughter Chanda Bell and illustrated by Coë Steinwart, featuring a Christmas-themed tale, written in rhyme, that explains how Santa knows who is naughty and who is nice.Each book comes with an "elf" who you have to name and care for

The Plot (according to Wikipedia) is The poetic story dictates that the elf's main priority around the family's household is to keep watch over the children's behavior during the day and return to the North Pole overnight to report their behavior to Santa Claus, detailing any acts of obedience or misdeeds performed by a child during that particular day, returning home by the following morning. Starting from the day following Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve, the elf remains with its family to ensure that they behave properly throughout the holidays. However, the top policy regarding the Elf on the Shelf is to refrain from touching the creature, as doing so could permanently erase any Christmas magic with which the elf had been bestowed upon being named by the family. It is no longer capable of fulfilling its duties of recounting the events of the day to Santa Claus, cautioning that he may or may not learn about a child's behavior should the Elf on the Shelf be stripped of its holiday enchantment. Every day, the elf's position changes, providing the family with the responsibility of locating its current perch before its departure for the year on Christmas Eve.

Basically speaking the Elf (with whatever cute name you name him) is a spy for the “man”, an informant to “big brother” and as kids you have to go and find him to ensure he reports favourably about your behavior. Or look out no pressies. Don’t touch the elf or bad stuff happens – really bad stuff. There are sites dedicated to “re-magicking” your elf if one of your kids accidently touches him. Sigh.

Do kids think it is fun? – probably

Is it creepy? – a little

Do I sound like an 85 year old grump? – yes

Are my kids hard done by because we don’t do it? - no

So what to do?

I could go the religious route but I am not sure a “find baby Jesus” game would be as fun and it would probably be blasphemous if we put baby Jesus in a marshmallow snowball fight with one of the boys toys. Or I could just block all elf related posts. My boys eagerly anticipate the arrival of Santa old school (like all children pre stupid elf did) so I can’t say that we are entirely all about the reason for the season. Maybe I just feel like it is one more thing that I have to do as a parent to ensure my kids grow up normal and happy like all the other kids? Is that why it annoys me so much? The fact that not doing it makes me feel like a lousy mom?

I guess in the spirit of the season I should just grit my teeth and say nothing when people chatter about the funniest thing doby the house elf did that morning and let people have their jollies. After all maybe they find my love of Christmas carols just as annoying and are gritting their teeth as well.

http://antielfontheshelf.blogspot.ca/p/pig-on-twig.html?

http://mockingwords.blogspot.ca/2011/12/anti-elfs-on-shelfs.html

see – not alone……