Why My Elf is Staying on My Shelf ~ Guest post by Jen

Whether you like the idea of having a cute little elf in your home at Christmastime or you loathe that little creepy thing staring down at you, pressuring you into yet another marketing scheme, I’m sure you have heard about the elf on the shelf. That is of course unless you have been living under a rock for the past couple years.

I’m not here to persuade you to get an elf for yourself, or to tell you that yes, you are the best parent in the world because you participate in the elf on the shelf tradition. I share to explain what the elf represents in our home and what he does not.

Our family has an elf visit our home for the month of December every year. I heard about it in 2010 and thought it would be a lot of fun for my kids. This of course was before the huge elf on the shelf craze, and before I knew what I was really getting myself into. We read the book with our kids and they named him Jasper. I started out by just moving him to a different spot every night. My kids thought it was great fun and loved finding him every morning. In the next couple years the elf became extremely popular on blogs and pinterest, showcasing different ways for your elf to get into trouble or do something wildly creative. I’ll admit, being the creative person I am, I jumped on the bandwagon and our own elf, Jasper, had some pretty wild adventures. Including: roasting marshmallows, coloring in a Christmas coloring book, having a marshmallow war and going for a joyride with Barbie.

I had A LOT of fun coming up with a new adventure every night. Equally my kids loved finding what nonsense Jasper had gotten into while they slept. I did this not to show off how creative I am or how I could outdo my friends by one upping our elf adventures against theirs. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have to say, this is the most important advice I can give you on this whole elf on the shelf craze: DO NOT do it just to keep up with "The Joneses". I hate that it has been portrayed as this. To tell you the truth, if I had not gotten an elf when we did, I probably wouldn’t now. Only because of what it has become for so many people.

I understand that some people don’t want an elf because it shows your children the elf is a spy, or it teaches your kids naughty behavior. I truly believe that in whatever way you present the elf and what it represents, is how your children will perceive it. If you show your kids he is more of a spy, they will believe that. If you show your kids that he is fun and make it out to be just that, they are going to respond accordingly.

Our elf is not a threat to our children. We have never threatened them by saying, “the elf is going to tell Santa you have been naughty!” or, “the elf is Santa’s spy to see if you have been naughty or nice.” I think of our home as a safe place for my children and would never want to jeopardize their sense of security in any way. Especially by having this creepy elf watching every move they make and tattle tailing on them every night to Santa. That would scare any child! Heck, I’d be scared! Wouldn’t you hate it if someone told you that the elf watched you sneak those extra cookies after the kids went to bed? Or that you left dirty dishes in your sink all day and because of that you would not be receiving gifts on Christmas morning?

Yes, I get caught up in all the holiday madness and at times think, do I really need to add another task to my already long list? Some nights I dread that little devil in red, smirking at me, knowing that yep, I have to think of yet another creative adventure or somewhere to move him. Some nights I wake up in the middle of the night remembering, "Dang! I forgot to move that flippin elf!"  Do I sometimes want to just say, forget it, I’ll leave him in his same spot, saying to the kids, “you probably touched the elf and he lost his magic for the next couple of days.”All in order to give myself a day off? You bet I do! In fact, this year I have not been very creative with our elf at all. He usually just moves to another spot. And guess what? That’s okay! Because, honestly, this elf is not what Christmas is. Let me repeat that. This elf is not what Christmas is.

Would my kids lose all sense of faith and joy without him? No. Is the elf the only thing we use to teach our children about Christmas? No. But in our house, he represents the SPIRIT and MAGIC of Christmas. The sense of something magical happening. Christmas is about being a child again. Having the awe and wonder about all the things happening around you. The innocence of being a child again. Believing. Whether in Santa or God. The magic of it all.  That’s what it’s all about. It’s why I do it.

Now, you are all adults and can decide what holiday traditions you want to participate in. If you want to do the elf on the shelf, great! If not, great! I’m not saying that without the elf on the shelf your children won’t have that magical experience during Christmastime. But for our family, it is one of the things that bring joy in the kid’s eyes, and mine, as they experience the magic that this season brings. And however you chose to display that is up to you. Don’t let anyone, including a little stuffed elf dressed in red; influence your decision in any way.

-Jen