Why I Decided to ‘Elf on the Shelf’ It

I’ll admit when I first started seeing ideas for ‘Elf on the Shelf’ while perusing Pinterest, I was almost stressed out by the idea. The stuff these moms would do just looked like a bunch of time without a real purpose. I was really kind of turned off by the whole thing, really.
That was a year ago, but again, this year on Pinterest the ideas started popping up again. All I could think is, “What is the deal with this stupid elf?” Luckily, my best friend had the same sentiment and posted a Facebook status stating she didn’t understand the elf phenomenon. A few moms chimed in and I remember one particular response mentioned “behavior modification.” Wait, what? You mean, I can use this as a bargaining tool. I know, I know, bargaining is frowned upon in the “parenting world.” However, as a mom who had used, “If you do not put your listening ears on, I’m going to call Santa myself!” a few too many times, I really needed a partner in crime. Insert our wonderful elf, Frederick.

And as great as it is to be able to remind her that Santa has an elf who’s watching if she’s naughty or nice, that really wasn’t my main reason for doing it. I finally reasoned with myself and decided this was just another tradition that makes Zoey feel special. And I decided to steer clear of all of those over-the-top crazy Pinterest ideas (Um. toothpaste is not going to find itself on my mirror anytime soon), and do simple ideas. I think there’s only been one idea that took me longer than 5 minutes to complete (I decided Frederick wanted to make her Christmas shaped pancakes…which was still super easy using this tutorial). Now, every morning when Zoey wakes up, she immediately says, “Let’s go find Frederick!” She’s automatically in a great mood, and I can tell it makes her feel special knowing Santa’s keeping his eye on her.
I’ve gotten a little ridicule from a few friends (mostly those that don’t have kids, mind you), and this is what I’d say to you — Yep, I think some moms go way too crazy with this elf idea, but if that’s what they want to do and it’s making their kid feel special, why not? And for all of those that think it’s creepy? Get over yourselves. This isn’t some big brother conspiracy, it’s a freakin’ elf.