Back off my Elf on the Shelf
Not everyone loves every holiday tradition. Pumpkin spice lattes, turkey and stuffing, tangled Christmas lights, peppermint candy all have their fair share of haters.
But parents seem to be drawing some drastic lines on either side of a jolly debate about our friend the Elf on the Shelf.
But I’m not giving up my Elf without a fight.
I’ve heard the complaints...
The elf is creepy.
Does it creep me out. HELL YES it does. But so did the Darth Vadar helmet that my daughter wanted for Halloween and kept leaving on the chair in my living room. But I powered through that because WE CAN DO HARD THINGS.
Forcing good behavior.
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We don’t use our Elf for enforcing good behavior. There is ZERO mention of Sprinkle “watching” them, or hinting that Santa might not bring them the toy they’ve been hoping for, because that’s a bummer and NOT the vibe that I was striving for when I parked a giant tree in my front window and covered it in lights. And I require them to be good all 12 months of the year because, PARENTING.
It’s a lot of work.
Our elf’s big achievement is that he leaves and comes back every night. He pops a squat in a new spot in our house. That’s it. I’ve never hand-crafted tiny donuts from cheerios, or filled a sink with marshmallows for a bubble bath, or set up a detailed game of elf-Barbie-teddy bear poker. If you do, that is fantastic! I’m high-fiving you from over here! But the nuttiest we get is when our elf hides in the fridge.
I’m not trying to make you feel bad.
If I post a photo of my elf, I’m not judging YOU. It’s part of our holiday experience, just like seeing the holiday lights display at the park, or baking cookies, or covering our pancakes in red-and-green sprinkles. I share it because I think it’s fun and because other people who have my same interests might enjoy or feel the holiday spirit. I feel the same way about carpool selfies, delicious looking cups of coffee, and your kids on their first day of school…BRING IT.
That’s the glorious part of all of the holiday inspiration available on the internet…you can pick and choose what suits you and your family.
But back off my Elf. Sprinkle is staying.
