Elf on the shelf is a terrible tradition. amirite?

I still have no idea why it is a thing. Is it like something made up in the 2000s or something?

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I definitely don't remember this from my or my friends childhood's growing up in the 90s/early aughts

by Sufficient-Fly 1 week ago

Knee-hugger elves have been a thing since the 50s. We had them as kids in the 90s and they had been my grandparents decorations in the 60s. Someone probably threatened their kids with one and told them a story about it, it grew and was published and now it's a big thing.

by Capable_Garage_8427 1 week ago

Marketing. The birth of many of our "traditions".

by Anonymous 1 week ago

It's been a thing for a long time. The one we had growing up in the early 2000's was the same one my mom had growing up as a kid in the 70's. I have a feeling it was probably a regional thing though, we're from the Midwest

by EngineerCrazy 1 week ago

You probably had an old knee hugger elf, which the current Elf on the Shelf is based on. We had them, too, growing up, the same ones my parents had in the 60s and 70s. They didn't do anything but were just decorations on a shelf. They did have names. I still have them. I'm also from the Midwest and one thing we did that I don't see any more is tuck Baby Jesus in the Nativity away untll Christmas morning. He wasn't born until then, why should he be out? It used to be more common to see in houses, a Jesus-less nativity.

by Capable_Garage_8427 1 week ago

My parents tried to wait until Christmas for baby Jesus but as kids we protested until they gave in (it was a little people nativity and we wanted to play with it!)

by Silver-Mix 1 week ago

Yeah my parents didn't do the whole process that goes into it now, but he sat on the mantle and basically served the same purpose for us. We also did the baby less Nativity until Christmas morning, we kept him behind it until we went out to open presents in the morning.

by EngineerCrazy 1 week ago

My cat used to steal sandalwood figures from my nativity when I was a kid, so we kinda did if we wanted it or not.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Yeah, you might be referring to the lesser known more localized tradition.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I have a feeling it was probably a regional thing though, This explains SO much, as West Coast me didn't hear about them until the mid-aughts... which was when social media and Internet shopping really took off.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

definitely a regional thing

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I feel like I'm being genuinely gaslit every time someone mentions this "tradition". The book came out in 2005, this "tradition" is younger than the Will Ferrel Elf movie

by Material_Glove1869 1 week ago

i have no idea what any of this is about

by Anonymous 1 week ago

they started marketing it as a "tradition" in the 2000's and everyone just started believing them after a few years

by Anonymous 1 week ago

One of my students was so proud that her aunt was the one who invented "elf on the shelf," and because I am a loving, kind teacher I just smiled at her and said, "that's great!" and kept my opinion about it to myself. The. Worst. When my girls have asked, "why cant' we have an elf on the shelf." I feel like my Jewish friends at Christmas. "Because different families have different traditions and our family doesn't do this one."

by Cynthia18 1 week ago

Yup. It came from a book published in 2005. It's not Santa canon and I refuse to acknowledge it as anything but an ugly toy.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

While my parents never told me it was an elf watching me if I was good or not, we played, "elfie", which was basically the same thing. This started around 1989 in my family.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

It was based off a children's book that came out in the early 2000's.

by Careless-Yesterday86 1 week ago

I feel like I did not hear about it until like 2011

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Idk but OP is way too angry about it and likely did NOT have good holidays growing up.

by torrance40 1 week ago

You can tell your kids whatever you want around Christmas.

by ChemicalRing 1 week ago

My favorite was when I asked my parents why Santa doesn't bring me presents for Christmas, and their response was "Because you're a Jew"

by Anonymous 1 week ago

That hits different if you're from a Catholic family

by bkunde 1 week ago

Ha that's pretty funny. I remember being told one year that we're doing a snowman instead because the tree is pagan. I guess frosty is a Christian lol.

by ChemicalRing 1 week ago

hindsight is amazing. now, as an adult, you would have just said "so was Jesus, does that mean he didn't get presents either" and wait for the response

by LowToe1380 1 week ago

Why? My parents are Jewish too. They were trying to get me to accept that we don't celebrate Christmas without saying that Santa isn't real. Because then 4 year old me would blab to the other Christian kids that Santa isn't real and they would cry.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

No, I don't find it interesting, or even true.

by ChemicalRing 1 week ago

Don't you find it interesting how many kids end up having a hard time facing reality when they find out Santa is not real? I've worked with children for 20+ years. I've never once encountered a child who had issues finding out make believe holiday traditions were make believe... You're putting adult emotions on children and that sounds like a 'you' issue.

by Capable_Garage_8427 1 week ago

Dude people are super defensive about Santa. It's nuts. The argument is "let kids believe in magic before they realize how terrible the world is." My brother, if you didn't expect magical men to deliver presents to your cult followers, you might not think the world is so terrible.

by framielijah 1 week ago

no one "lets" kids believe in magic, they *make* them believe in it if you dont understand the difference, you are part of the problem, and going "lol yore d3f3n51ve3" randomly wont change that

by LowToe1380 1 week ago

I think we've had a miscommunication. I'm saying that the pro Santa crowd is unreasonably defensive.

by framielijah 1 week ago

Fun? My brother was absolutely destroyed for 2 Christmas' in a row when he found out Santa wasn't real. I didn't tell him. But yeah "fun"

by Monterussel 1 week ago

I think that's more on your brother than anyone else.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Just wait till he learns religion is fake and there is no god...

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I'm aware religion is made up. What does that have to do with letting kids have something fun to look forward to?

by Swiftalvena 1 week ago

Isn't "Christmas" a religious holiday?? What are you even celebrating for?

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Celebrating the birth of a mythical man is somehow different than Elf on shelf or Santa how exactly?

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Say what you want about religion in general, or Christianity specifically, but denying the existence of Jesus of Nazareth is very much a poorly informed, non-scholarly viewpoint.

by Local_Act5099 1 week ago

I didn't say it was related. You're the one that brought up religion and I asked what that had to do with kids having something to look forward to. Not sure what point you're trying to make

by Swiftalvena 1 week ago

You're right, we shouldn't read fiction to kids either. What if they find out Frodo isn't real?!?

by Immediate-Advisor373 1 week ago

I agree! It's going too far with all of these holidays. This year my child asked me if we could set out a trap for a leprechaun 😫

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Father Christmas was super magical to me as a kid because my parents did a great job of being secretive about it and thus allowing me to figure it out for myself (as kids are supposed to).

by Anonymous 1 week ago

it is strange. Conditioning your kids to watch their step for fear of a tiny humanoid is watching you in an omni present sorta way and will report back anything he doesnt like to 'the man'.

by Designer_Safety8214 1 week ago

We named ours Narc-y. Has been referenced several times as what not to do to our friends. Still fun to watch him get found in a different place each day.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Yeah thats what my kids like about it. I think people are over thinking it

by yrunolfsson 1 week ago

We use ours as more of a hide ‘n' seek thing around xmas time. We told our daughter it's santa's helper that comes to play and goes back up to the north pile on Christmas day to help santa make gifts.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

That is so cute! I might use that idea for my little bunny!

by Anonymous 1 week ago

what's even funnier is when the shelf they pretend there is an elf on actually has an Alexa on it that is doing exactly that 🤣

by LowToe1380 1 week ago

Anything that inconveniences me is a terrible tradition...

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I wholeheartedly believe that anybody that has a problem with Santa or other things of similarity just had a terrible childhood and didn't get to enjoy those things themselves.

by Original_Math 1 week ago

Ding ding ding these people are just miserable and everything is "trauma". I don't think most people look back and resent their parents for lying about Santa. But I'm willing to bet they remember how much fun they had with the tradition and that time period which is why they perpetuate it with their kids.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Yea like i would give pretty much anything to wholeheartedly feel the level of excitement and such that i felt in december as a kid. Sure finding out santa isnt real blows but typically, by the time that happens you're old enough to process slightly more complex emotions.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Christmas has become magical again since I had kids

by yrunolfsson 1 week ago

I'm just mirroring back how you describe it. You aren't as happy as you were when you were a kid. Your happiest days are decades gone. I'm sorry for you. Surely it's not just Santa, but you brought it up when talking about Santa.

by framielijah 1 week ago

Yep. I'm an atheist and if I ever have kids I'm certainly not raising them in any religion, but yeah I'll let them believe in Santa, its fun.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Santa/Father Christmas is fine and is tradition. Elf on the Shelf sounds stupid.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Adding more and more moral narcs to your annual pantheon isn't enriching their experience. You're just outsourcing your parenting to fictional beings. First it was "God is always watching, so be good." Then "Santa is watching, so be good for goodness sake." Now "One of Santa's employees are reporting your behaviour, so best be good." Interestingly enough, finding out Santa wasn't real began my journey into atheism. They did NOT like the questions I had.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Or I just like being honest with my kid? Not sure why you need to analyze that and assume much about me. I don't tell him garden gnomes are real.... Does that mean I never made varsity?

by framielijah 1 week ago

Means you don't care about your kid enough to give them amazing experiences, that i'm guessing you also lacked as a kid.

by Original_Math 1 week ago

You've got a really small world view.

by framielijah 1 week ago

I could say the same about you.

by Original_Math 1 week ago

I'm not the one implying amazing experiences can only happen if you lie to children. I pity you if you need to be lied to to be happy.

by framielijah 1 week ago

Unless I didn't notice and you did, nobody implied that at all, but ok.

by Original_Math 1 week ago

Me: I don't like lying to my kid You: you don't care enough to give them amazing experiences. Are you noticing your own words, big dawg?

by framielijah 1 week ago

Nobody implied that you can only give your kids good experiences by lying to them. There's just no reason not to give them good experiences when you can, for example… santa. Unless you just don't care enough to. Catch up buddy.

by Original_Math 1 week ago

Nah I just don't like lying to children. And you said it means I don't care. You're acting like a monster.

by framielijah 1 week ago

Really. I've been railed for this opinion irl lol

by Monterussel 1 week ago

I've never met anyone that likes elf on the shelf. Obviously there are people that like it, I see it all the time on social media. Not my thing though

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Everyone hates Elf on the Shelf. They do it for their kids so their kids don't feel left out of the fun. I don't know a single parent who enjoys Elf on the Shelf.

by Capable_Garage_8427 1 week ago

Wait wait wait, your problem is with it teaching kids to believe stuff that isn't real but you are celebrating christmas in the first place? Might as well tell them its all fake, and the stupid elf is just for fun, just like the rest of it.

by Beginning_City 1 week ago

Fair point. I'm all on board for celebrating something in Christmas stead

by Monterussel 1 week ago

Personally, I think it's kind of silly to call it Christmas if Jesus isn't involved, considering it literally means Christ-mass.

by earlene83 1 week ago

I mean you can already do that. Your unpopular opinion is thinking the rest of society should adhere to your preferences.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

yeah it is. no snitches in my house.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Keep 💪

by Monterussel 1 week ago

I'm famously fun at parties and I agree with OP.

by Funny-Illustrator 1 week ago

This is not the limitation of fun. I even said there are better ways. Most of the fun I've had with my parents wasn't on any holiday. Sports, hiking, picnics, road trips etc.

by Monterussel 1 week ago

I have kids and I absolutely hate all of it.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Is it even a tradition? Like, I first heard of it less than ten years ago, and everybody just acted like it was an old tradition, but I'm like 80% sure it's a recent thing

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I have never understood this tradition, and it seemed to come out of nowhere in the last 20-25 years. It definitely was not a thing back in the 70s and 80s when I was young.

by szemlak 1 week ago

Yeah, a lady taught her daughters to be snitches with this tradition in her own home, then marketed it and 10 years later you can buy one with other stuff for your own home.

by Monterussel 1 week ago

It's stupid and it seems like it was invented by the Hallmark Channel

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I'm most annoyed by the extra workload expected, to be honest. It's one of the busiest times of year for families, with school shows, fairs, events, Christmas lunches and parties, cards to write, presents to buy, masses to organise - and now we're expected to create a cutesy little tableau for a tiny creepy plastic doll every morning for a minimum of 24 days? I think not.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Elf on the Shelf is stupid.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I feel like there is a lot of overlap between people who like elves on shelves and Minions.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Exactly. It's not that serious.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

It's not a tradition. It's a product.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Ok Scrooge.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I was offended that they came out and immediately declared themselves to be a "holiday tradition," it just sounded desperate, and it's annoying that people fell for it. It was like when greeting card companies tried to shove "sweetest day" down our throats. But apparently dumb people will believe that anything has been a tradition for a long time.

by Haven74 1 week ago

I agree that this is a ridiculous money grab… but sometimes things are just fun. My grandmother used to do this, and I really looked forward to it every year. These elves she had were SO tiny though. It was actually a challenge to find them and once I did I was fully convinced that there were elves there and it was so magical. There were no gifts from them, and no threats of being watched.. besides Santa of course

by OstrichNeat 1 week ago

We have had a lot of fun with it over the years. But we don't really hammer home the ‘Santa's watching' part. The kiddo was just excited to wake up and see what mischief the elf got into during the night. Now that she is older and knows the ‘truth' she loves to surprise me with elf mischief!

by Anonymous 1 week ago

It's not that serious

by Ok-Ebb 1 week ago

i can agree with elf on a shelf but goddamn op is against anything fun

by One_Extreme_6798 1 week ago

because they're kids and are allowed to have a not real and crushing world. it's not for a benefit in particular. a world exists outside of only the necessary. learn to care.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Please don't compare Elf on the Shelf with Father Christmas, the latter is a staple of childhood magic and yuletide festive joy. EOTS sounds like something created by bible-thumping soccer moms who argue with schoolteachers when their "kiddos" get bad grades. Thank God we don't have EOTS here in the UK (at least to my knowledge).

by Anonymous 1 week ago

"What is the benefit of convincing children fatty in a red suit comes down the chimney to give you presents, but ONLY if you are "good" children." It's called incentive. Look it up.

by HovercraftVisible 1 week ago

My house will never be an elf on the shelf household. The elf on the shelf company has an estimated worth of $100 million dollars. It's just a gimmick to make people spend more money on an already financially draining holiday.

by Freeman67 1 week ago

I tried my hardest to keep my kids believing in Santa because the pastor of my mother's church told the congregation that it was wrong to let your kids believe in Santa. I was maybe 4 years old when she came home and told me that there was no Santa. I cried like she'd just casually told me that a real person who I loved was dead. That's probably one of my earliest memories. Anyway. I resisted Elf on the Shelf because I just think that's creepy and weird. Then I had to just buy one because my kid was the only one in her preschool class who didn't have the damn elf. That actually did end up being fun though. Just let people have innocent holiday traditions with their kids. I'm pretty sure that elf on the shelf is waning in popularity anyway. Probably because you see them for sale everywhere. When they first came out, they were hard to find in stores.

by Shaniakub 1 week ago

It's not a tradition at all. Nobody did this until a few years ago. It's just a marketing gimmick to sell dolls.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

It's like the opposite of popular opinion I think. I just assumed most people love it.

by Monterussel 1 week ago

Why is this a problem for you? What's wrong with letting kids be kids?

by katherynstokes 1 week ago

Raise your kids how you want. Others can raise their kids to believe in something magical and make core memories for them based around that if they choose to do so.

by cummingsreva 1 week ago

"I did this crap during my childhood so my children must suffer the same fate" - most parents

by Madisengibson 1 week ago

Kids are really suffering from Santa and Elf on the Shelf, totally.

by SavingsCrazy6041 1 week ago

Parents better get ready for a nursing home because of all the trauma lying about Santa caused. Seriously, these people are delusional.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

A lot of these cutesy children's traditions have much darker origin stories than you may realize.

by Kulasamely 1 week ago

It's not even a "tradition". It's a marketing campaign for a product that first showed up on store shelves in 2005.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

This is the point many seem to be missing that seem to think it's all just good fun.

by Monterussel 1 week ago

It comes from "Paedo in the Speedo" where people would have to watch out for sex criminals at the swimming pool.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

So is religion but here some people are

by MaintenanceNo 1 week ago

its not a tradition, its a thing people invented a few years ago, to aid them in their child abuse. If enough of us band together it will never become a real tradition

by Immediate-Risk 1 week ago

I hate the commercialization of it. My dad used to tell us that the elves were watching and we just believed it. Didn't need a stupid toy.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I prefer Grohl on a pole.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Most traditions are strange or make very little sense & most of them just like this tradition are now just an excuse to spend money or shove marketing down your throat, it's all a load of hogwash, all of it, why end with just one? Any tradition that doesn't involve cheese ain't a tradition of mine.

by Grimesjessyca 1 week ago

Are We Dating the Same Guy - elf on a shelf for dating.

by keith39 1 week ago

Terrible idea. Very popular opinion

by Marjolaine14 1 week ago

What is "elf on a shelf", is it an American thing?

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Yes. I don't remember the rules, but it's a stuffed elf that parents move around every night for some periods of day leading up to Christmas.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Back in my day we'd just grab some half burnt coals from the charcoal grill and plant them in the stocking of the youngest sibling. Unfortunately my little sister is 23 now and all my nieces and nephews are too old to believe in Santa so I can't cause anymore trauma.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Ok

by mklein 1 week ago

I just hate the thing where you can't touch it or the magic will be lost.. if anything that is almost a sure fire way to actually ruin Christmas magic because most little kids are too curious and will touch it at some point and will eventually figure out that they elf was not changed by them touching it.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Elf on the Shelf was one of my favorite traditions with my son. This was the first year we didn't do it because he's 12 and too cool for that stuff. I'm low key heartbroken.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

First time I ever heard of this was about 10 years ago and sounds stupid. But yeah parents think lying to kids about this stuff is "cute."

by Good-Bullfrog 1 week ago

You sound fun at parties.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

The benefit is that they have fun?

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Glad to be of service lol

by Monterussel 1 week ago

In my house we don't celebrate Easter, Valentine's, and Christmas (we do celebrate Halloween and decorate for that). We do get presents but we don't say it's from Santa and we don't decorate. Our son asked about Santa and we told him that Saint Nick was real he brought presents to an orphanage in the 1800, but Santa isn't real. We told him about everything. He thanked us for not lying to him and that he can trust us even more. He also says that presents from his parents are way better than getting something from an imaginary person who he doesn't know.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

you think its all big corporations, but its actually all religion the little lies about Santa and the easter bunny are just gearing up for the big lie - god.

by LowToe1380 1 week ago

I told my son (he's 20 now) that Santa wasn't real when he was six. He's an only child and has a birthday in December. Buying a bunch of crap they won't even play with is a total of money. It's all about consumerism, hard pass.

by Anonymous 1 week ago