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Hello everyone! Welcome to Keratales. Love it, or hate it, today
we’re talking about the elf on the shelf! Here’s my detailed review:
If you’ve never heard of the elf on the shelf, it’s basically an
elf doll that’s been used as a Christmas tradition for children. I haven’t read
the book that comes with the mainstream elf because I thought it was too
expensive so, I just made our elf out of some things that I luckily had lying
around at the time. I understand that the story is the elf shows up on December
1st to keep an eye on the kids and reports back to Santa every night
to let him know everything they did that day, good as well as bad. That’s not
all though. This elf can cause quite a stir! In the morning, the kids have to
find this elf. They’re not allowed to touch it, if they do it supposedly loses
its magic.
The children might find their elf hiding innocently somewhere, or
they might find that he’s made a mess somewhere. I wanted to do a review post about
the elf on the shelf because I’ve been seeing this:
It's funny, and it completely makes sense. I'm here to tell you that it doesn't have to be this way. (I do not own the rights to the above image)
I always did my own thing with our elf, starting with when I made him
from a sock for the head, some floral wire to make him bendy, and some green
felt for his body. I hated that all the ideas out there for “funny”
things to do with the elf were so destructive. They always involve sprinkling flour or sugar all
over the floors or counters, stringing shoes or toys or something all over the house, or leaving
sweets lying in the open that could potentially attract pests that are already
looking for someplace warm to bed down for the winter, or some other mess
making scheme elves tend to like.
I asked some of my friends what they thought about this tradition.
A lot of people hate it for different reasons that honestly make sense. Some
see it as another lie that we tell them, like we’re setting them up for
disappointment when they learn the truth like we already do with some things,
like the fat man Santa himself. For some people, it’s just another thing that
you have to make sure gets done every single day. A couple people said the idea
was stupid and they just don’t like it. I get that too.
Most people agree they like the idea of the elf, but not the
messes he makes. Some say that it sets a bad example because you’re using it to
trick your kids into good behavior, yet it exemplifies nothing close to good
behavior. If our children did the same things, how would we react? Would we
discipline them? Make them help clean the mess they made? I know I would.
What is cool about the elf on the shelf tradition on the other
hand, is why I do it. I like having a fun way to encourage my children to be
good this time of year. I love the use of imagination to create that magic. I
love the reactions I get from the kids when they see what Elfrick (our elf) has
done now.
I’ve never been the kind of person to do what everyone else does
in the exact same way. I have to put my own personal touch on everything. I’m
also a problem solver! I saw a problem with the price of buying an elf on the
shelf, so I made one. I didn’t grow up with the tradition, and I didn’t have
the story book since I made our elf. So, I sort of made it up based off of my
general understanding of the whole thing. I wrote out a letter to the kids,
explaining the role of the elf in the way I wanted the game to go. That’s
really what it is for us, just for fun, a holiday game.
I think it sets a bad example for the kids to have the elf doing
destructive things or leaving a horrible mess around for you to clean later. If
this elf is there to make sure my kids are being good, he better model the
behaviors he wants to see! That’s why I pose him doing things to help out
around the house, or at least make it look like he’s trying. He puts up
decorations I didn’t have time to get out that day or cleans up a mess and
leaves a note about picking up after yourself. Sometimes he “fixes” something
using toys as props, he means well and he’s trying. I usually take inspiration
from whatever the kids are doing that day.
(Elfrick helping us find a tree topper after my star fell over and I couldn't get it to stand up again.)
The elf on the shelf is not for everyone. I’m going to keep using
ours to brighten the holiday and create memories with my children as long as
they seem to enjoy it. If you’re doing it too, remember, you don’t have to do
it strictly by the book. It’s more enjoyable to make your own elf on the shelf
tradition that best suits your family.
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