No Elf on the Shelf over Here

So last week I noticed a lot of “Elf on the Shelf” pins on Pinterest. After clicking a few, I realized they were linked to mommy blogs and I tried not to leave a comment because I didn’t want to appear “judgey.” For those who don’t know about the Elf on the Shelf concept, here’s an abbreviated blurb from their website:

Have you ever wondered how Santa knows who is naughty and who is nice? The Elf on the Shelf®: A Christmas Tradition is the very special tool that helps Santa know who to put on the Naughty and Nice list. This interactive holiday hide-and-seek tradition is perfect for children and families of all ages.

The tradition begins when Santa sends his scout elves out to Elf Adoption Centers. Waiting for their families to bring them home, these patient elves hibernate until their family reads The Elf on the Shelf, gives their elf a very special name, and registers their adoption online. Once named, each scout elf will receive its Christmas magic and become a part of the family’s Christmas each and every year.

Excellent listeners and even better observers, these scout elves are the eyes and ears of Santa Claus. Although they cannot be touched, or else they may lose their magic, the elf will always listen and relay messages back to Santa. Taking in all the day-to-day activities around the house, no good deed goes unnoticed; these scout elves take their job seriously.

Each night, after the family goes to bed, the scout elf uses his magical Christmas powers to fly back to the North Pole. Once there, the elf will make his or her daily report to Santa and visit with elf friends where they will tell stories about their beloved families, play with the reindeer, and of course, sneak some of Mrs. Claus’ cookies!

In my opinion, this just sounds like yet another way for parents to manipulate their children into behaving by lying to them. So, not only do we lie to them about Santa we’re now lying to them about an Elf being able to snitch on them. I won’t even talk about the apps that allow parents to “talk to Santa.” I mean why can’t we just be honest with our children, instead of manipulating them by lying into doing what we want. I’m sure this is my first time mom idealism talking, but it also comes from a vague memory of putting out cookies for Santa and eventually finding out my mom was Santa. I still put out cookies, but made sure they were the kind my mom liked for sure. I also knew that if I misbehaved my parents just wouldn’t buy me anything. Yes, I experienced a Christmas with no gifts, but that was punishment for lying one too many times. Imagine if my parents were lying to me about Santa and this elf on the shelf, but punishing me for lying to them. If Baby S is anything like me or even Mr. S he will definitely be the kid who calls you out on your contradictions.

Uhh parents why is my tree so small?

I’ve talked to Mr. S about whether or not we’ll do Santa Claus with Baby S and the jury is still out on a final decision. Neither of us wants to lie to him about where his toys come from during the holiday and neither of us is particularly religious anymore either. Our last conversation on the subject resulted in us saying we would just tell him that Santa is his family because that’s who sends him all these wonderful presents.What about those cute pictures that kids get to take on Santa’s lap? Well after reading an article about a hired Santa in Cleveland being a sex offender, we decided that once he has cousins in the area (my nephews are in the Midwest) we’ll probably have someone we know dress up as Santa for those pictures if he really wants a picture with “Santa.”  He’ll know that Santa isn’t just one person who goes all over the world in a night, but instead a ton of people who love him and exchange presents during the holiday season.

What about you? How do you handle Santa and the elf on the shelf stories?

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