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Elf on the Shelf

  • 08-11-2019 1:07pm
    #1
    Neyite
    Administrators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,947 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭


    Anyone else doing EOTS with their kids?

    In our house there's no rule about not touching the elf, and elf is just there for fun, not a spy for Santa.

    I cursed the OH from a height last year when he arrived back with an elf but somehow the Christmas magic rubbed off on me and this year. Truly a Christmas Miracle :D

    I've got enough easy things planned out and have a list of the few props I need. The only expensive thing I've ordered was an EOTS duvet set but I was planning to get a Christmas one anyway and he'll love the elf one. The rest of the props are just cheap craft stuff and some sweets.

    some ideas I'll be using -nicked from elsewhere on the internet!

    1bc569f241fd9d7a8a3cff998bc53c11.jpg971c473d3654302c5c7b9d665f874304.jpg908ce58a25ed3079aff6a7d3432ef101.jpgdecaccb10869d391e55152900b402c7e.jpgf5742e65a525d8a7e19dbb39a3de8433.jpgab0a2b35dcb0e8b1d5d19903d99b963c.jpge1554575f3e268293d08e3f7edba29d2.jpgc5d5c189f1baf03481f9ff9df6fcf5e6.jpg7f985f18cb46f8ce0e83afa70d27fc60.jpg



    Anyone here got some good pranks planned?


Comments

  • #2
    shesty
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,891 Mod ✭✭✭✭shesty


    Although I hate it and boycott it....they are brilliant ideas!


  • #3
    Neyite
    Administrators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,947 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Neyite


    Shesty, I'm in a facebook group and some of them are very militant using the elf to police the kids' every slight transgression. I remember one mother who confiscated the elf for a week because her 3yo touched it in her excitement and not many were telling her she was gone way OTT.



    So that's why our elf doesn't spy and is grand to be touched and cuddled. The pranks only happen in December though - I'd be way too knackered to do it for any longer!


  • #4
    Plumbthedepths
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,653 ✭✭✭✭Plumbthedepths


    I have children , thankfully they are too old for this insidious American nonsense.


  • #5
    tickingclock
    Registered Users Posts: 850 ✭✭✭tickingclock


    We have one and get great enjoyment from it. Dealz have some good cheap stuff to go with them and Pinterest is great for ideas. We all touch ours and both my husband and I get enjoyment out of what we'll do each night and enjoy the look of happiness the next morning when he's spotted up to mischief.


  • #6
    splashthecash
    Registered Users Posts: 2,305 ✭✭✭splashthecash


    We have one too and he has been arriving in December for the past 4 years. His name is buddy (the kids named him) and they are growing up with him. He is as much a part of the Christmas excitement as the tree or decorations.
    They aren't supposed to touch him (except for Christmas eve as he goes back with Santa that night so they give him a hug) and he gets up to mischief each night - need to get very creative toward the end when all ideas have been exhausted :D


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  • #7
    Dravokivich
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Music Moderators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 22,360 CMod ✭✭✭✭Dravokivich


    Dont do it myself. Wont be getting into it. If the kid wants one, he can get one and setup the elfs activities.


  • #8
    Ms2011
    Registered Users Posts: 3,119 ✭✭✭Ms2011


    In the process of knitting our elf, kids like the idea of one but I don't think they are worth the money so this is our compromise!


  • #9
    Sheep Shagger
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 6,199 Mod ✭✭✭✭Sheep Shagger


    Ms2011 wrote: »
    In the process of knitting our elf, kids like the idea of one but I don't think they are worth the money so this is our compromise!

    You can buy an elf and all the associated stuff in Dealz.


  • #10
    Purple Mountain
    Registered Users Posts: 12,990 ✭✭✭✭Purple Mountain


    My guy cottoned onto them quite young.
    He threw his eyes to heaven at the label on them thst proved they were factory made and not some magical creation :)

    To thine own self be true



  • #11
    Ms2011
    Registered Users Posts: 3,119 ✭✭✭Ms2011


    Sheep Shagger wrote: »
    You can buy an elf and all the associated stuff in Dealz.

    Halfway through now :D


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  • #12
    skallywag
    Registered Users Posts: 2,981 ✭✭✭skallywag


    Neyite wrote: »
    Anyone else doing EOTS with their kids?

    I think it's a great thing, have done it with mine the last few years.

    Never on the 8th of November though, but there you go, I guess I am old fashioned that way.

    Sure why not usher it in mid-October next year?


  • #13
    eviltwin
    Registered Users Posts: 17,495 ✭✭✭✭eviltwin


    If he's not there as a spy for santa what's the point of him then?


  • #14
    Blaizes
    Closed Accounts Posts: 809 ✭✭✭Blaizes


    Husband by mistake took ours down from the wardrobe where it was hidden about two months ago. Kids were amazed the elf had returned! Have since put it away again and told the kids he must have left. It’s fun for the kids but mine start Moving it and hiding it on us so then we’d have to find it and say it moved by bionic magic. I don’t know whose fooling who !


  • #15
    LegacyUser
    Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    we've been doing EOTS for years now, some of the ideas are fun but by night 28 i'm exhausted by it, (and lets not forget the nights when it's forgotten about and the horror of trying to do it asap in the morning)

    While i get the dealz ones are cheap i think the problem with them is people don't get the storybook with them which explains what elf on the shelf is, how it came about and why you aren't supposed to touch the elf, that was the whole point of elf on the shelf, not unlike the old robin red breast watching Irish version. i also despise the fact Dealz are doing the cctv thing for them, Elf on the shelf is not a threat or an excuse to get your children to behave, parenting is supposed to do that, for us at least it's a bit of extra magic and fun at Christmas to make the countdown to it go a little faster.


    My girl start crying when she saw a kid holding theirs because she thought that kid had stolen the magic from the poor elf. i just explained different houses have different traditions and maybe it was a teddy of an elf instead. that seemed to cheer her up, also explained away the elf on the shelf's appearing in all the shops!


  • #16
    pwurple
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,449 ✭✭✭✭pwurple


    eviltwin wrote: »
    If he's not there as a spy for santa what's the point of him then?

    Fun? :D

    We don't have them either, but mainly because we are time-poor. They look like a bit of craic.


  • #17
    Neyite
    Administrators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,947 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Neyite


    eviltwin wrote: »
    If he's not there as a spy for santa what's the point of him then?

    For us it's just a bit of Christmas fun. I know some people follow the book strictly and the elf is supposed to be a spy so I never wanted to get one based on that. But OH brought home one last year and he had no idea of the rules or that parents are supposed to stage stuff every night but our son was with him when he bought it and it was too late to tell him not to get one. But I did quickly establish that it was just a fun elf and not a spy elf because the first year our son really 'got' Santa he got pretty stressed with the idea that Santa could see EVERYTHING in our house - another kid had told him the security sensors were Santa-cams and it really freaked him out.

    So I've come to fundamentally disagree with the whole spying thing. If a boss of ours said "right, I've got cameras and voice recorders everywhere and even though I can't expect you to remember all the rules I'll be threatening to take your December wages off you if I see anything I'm not happy with" we would all be in bits by halfway through the month. So it's unfair if we couldn't sustain that kind of surveillance to expect a child to.

    We don't link day to day misbehaviour with Santa gifts either as again, he got very worried about the tiniest things he did wrong and would get very upset at bedtime at how he wasn't getting something off Santa because that day he broke a toy accidentally or whatever. So he got told that the only time that Santa wouldn't give a gift to a child is if they were deliberately cruel to another child or an animal. But we wouldn't threaten him with Santa not coming if he's in a mood and won't tidy his playroom for example. Santa rewards efforts of kindness and thoughtfulness in our house but doesn't monitor naughtiness.


  • #18
    CheerLouth
    Registered Users Posts: 2,416 ✭✭✭CheerLouth


    We have one too and our eldest loved finding out what mischief he'd been up to every night. He also did some nice things like a Christmas breakfast on December 1st. I try not to say that he's reporting back to Santy as the idea freaks me out a little. That said, I do sometimes say Santy is watching & one day, I did threaten to phone Santy which just prompted the oldest (whose 4) to say "but Santy doesn't have a phone" and when I said he did, she wanted to know why we were posting him a letter up the chimney instead of just ringing him :eek::o (kid is too clever for me :P)


  • #19
    Larbre34
    Registered Users Posts: 23,780 ✭✭✭✭Larbre34


    Ours is Pennywise the IT clown. Works a treat.


  • #20
    uck51js9zml2yt
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,268 ✭✭✭✭uck51js9zml2yt


    Next thing our kids will be talking to their imaginary friends and seeing lepracauns .
    Banned in my house.
    We don't do Santa either ,:)


  • #21
    kippy
    Registered Users Posts: 18,381 ✭✭✭✭kippy


    We'll do it this year, 4th or 5th year. We wouldn't take it too seriously, tis a bit of fun for the adults and the kids and I don't believe there's any harm with kids that age having some for of make-believe/fun coming into Christmas. Some good ideas out there.


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  • #22
    cant26
    Registered Users Posts: 578 ✭✭✭cant26


    Sylas Great Lecturer wrote: »
    Next thing our kids will be talking to their imaginary friends and seeing lepracauns .
    Banned in my house.
    We don't do Santa either ,:)

    What’s wrong with imaginary friends? Children are small and innocent for such a short time seems sad that they can’t explore their imagination. Life is so serious for long enough.


  • #23
    Plumbthedepths
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,653 ✭✭✭✭Plumbthedepths


    Sylas Great Lecturer wrote: »
    Next thing our kids will be talking to their imaginary friends and seeing lepracauns .
    Banned in my house.
    We don't do Santa either ,:)

    Bit like religion, ;-)


  • #24
    De Bhál
    Registered Users Posts: 2,839 ✭✭✭De Bhál


    yep we have the Elf. He's a definite Santa spy and the kids know it.

    He might make an appearance this week


  • #25
    Foweva Awone
    Registered Users Posts: 1,740 ✭✭✭Foweva Awone


    I saw a friend on Facebook got the elves to take staged photos of themselves and replaced all the framed family photos with their own photos. Great idea, but the actual EFFORT of that! :D


  • #26
    Princess Calla
    Registered Users Posts: 5,769 ✭✭✭Princess Calla


    skallywag wrote: »

    Sure why not usher it in mid-October next year?

    We do a magic pumpkin :)

    Wasn't planned just happened last year, the pumpkin will move around the house for a few days, then gets carved.

    They think it's hilarious!


  • #27
    skallywag
    Registered Users Posts: 2,981 ✭✭✭skallywag


    Princess Calla wrote: »
    We do a magic pumpkin :)

    Well, a pumpkin is indeed native to October so does not fall into my ire for any mention of Christmas in early November (-:


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