Elf on the Shelf Rules Explained for Novice Parents (2024)

FAQs

How does Elf on the Shelf work for parents? ›

Elf on the Shelf is a Christmas tradition that sees parents moving an Elf on the Shelf (also known as a "Scout Elf") around the house every day to keep an eye on children ahead of Santa's visit.

Santa advises that no family member touch their Elf on the Shelf, but he does describe a few rare instances when an adult may use tongs or potholders to help an elf in an urgent situation.

Write a letter from Santa to arrive with the elf.

For example, you can have Santa tell them that kids aren't allowed to touch the elf, that the elf comes every day until Christmas, and that it reports back to Santa in the North Pole every night. You can also have the letter be written by the elf instead of Santa.

When does Elf on the Shelf come? The Elf on the Shelf website recommends your Elf arrive between November 24 through December 1. This is also known as Scout Elf Return week, a.k.a. the time when Santa's little helpers flee the North Pole and head out to the houses they'll be staying at until Christmas.

Elf moves back and hides in a new place in the morning. Children are allowed to send their wishes to Santa through Elf. Note: Parents should understand that there are two rules of placing the Elf on the Shelf officially. Firstly, parents should change the position of the Elf every night when their children are asleep.

Children are not allowed to touch them.

Elves are very fragile, and if they are touched by human children they lose their magic and ability to communicate with Santa.

One philosophy provides a compelling argument about the dangers of the Elf on the Shelf, namely that it is a lie, threatens the trustworthiness of parents, ultimately encourages gullibility in children rather than critical thinking and inadvertently teaches children that their behavior should be governed by potential ...

When they do come to you and tell you that they without a doubt no longer believe in Santa and Elf on the Shelf isn't real, then you can come clean. Explain to them that while they may not be “real” in the sense they once believed; their overall message is still important.

There are just a few rules to remember! The most important—don't touch your Scout Elf, or they will lose their magic! Scout Elves can't talk, but they are great listeners. Little ones can share secrets and wishes with their elf as often as they'd like.

What do you do when you first get your elf? ›

To get started, you'll first have to adopt your elf (psst: They're available on Amazon). Don't forget to give your new elf a name! That's half the fun. Once they're properly named, then they can start their job reporting to Santa at the North Pole each night.

Visit Santa's online adoption centre.

Parents, pull up Santa's online store, where all the magical creatures from the North Pole are available for adoption. After you pick a boy or girl elf, Santa will send your new helper straight to your home.

"Treat every day like Christmas." "There's room for everyone on the Nice List." "We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup."

Do I need one Elf per child or one per household? The choice is yours. We have included two Nice List Certificates and two Letters to Santa in each kit, as these items are personal. All the other items can be shared as a family.

According to The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition, the night before Christmas, an elf's job comes to an end. On December 24, most Scout Elves say farewell to their families and fly back to the North Pole following Santa's sleigh.

As the story goes, elves arrive around Thanksgiving and keep watch of children up until Christmas Eve. Every night during this time, elves fly to the North Pole to report to the big guy, ya know, Santa, about the kids' naughty or niceness, then return to a new spot each morning.

2. The Elf must move each night into a new location. You can simply move your elf to different rooms of the house. The first year we didn't get creative with our Elf like we do today.

Remember that Humans reach physical and emotional maturity at the same time, but elves take five times longer for the latter. If Elven children remain dependent on their parents only until they reach physical maturity, they're having children at the human rate of one every six years.

The first and most important rule is that you must NOT touch your Elf. If you do, they will lose all their magic - and nobody wants that to happen. When scout elves lose their magic, they can't go about their Christmas duties. This means no presents for anyone in your family!

When your child asks you if you moved the Elf, you can always do a mental switcheroo on him. You can tell him that your Elf is actually upset that he would think that you touched him, since everyone knows that no one is allowed to handle the Elf.

What do you do if your child touches the elf? ›

The official Elf on the Shelf website recommends three ways to remedy the situation: Write Santa a note to apologize. Say sorry to the scout elf. Sprinkle pure cinnamon around the elf before bed.

The elf moves around the house, ready to catch unsuspecting children misbehaving so that he can report back to Santa. The tradition was created to encourage children to be on their best behavior during the holidays, and it is based on a 2004 book of the same name by Chanda Bell.

'It's really a terrible message for kids. ' The concern is that the elf teaches children the wrong lessons when it comes to privacy and makes children acclimatized to be being monitored and passively accept constantly being watched by an unseen authority figure.

An elf does not want to report a child's bad behavior to Santa. Instead of reporting naughty behavior, they will stay in their spot for a few days until there is something nice to report to Santa. If you want your elf to move, you better be good!

The Elf on the Shelf tradition can be started at any age, but most parents recommend waiting until your child is between the ages of 2 and 3. They claim it's the perfect sweet spot for children to appreciate and understand the elves' magic while establishing this family tradition at a young age.

If your elf didn't move, they may be trying to communicate an important message to you! If your elf is accidentally touched, they may have just enough energy to get to the North Pole but not enough magic to create a whole new scene in your home.

Are you supposed to cut the tie between their hands? This is again a personal decision. Some people don't and some people do. The reason you would cut them would be to make your elf easier to position when placing him each night.

The gloves protect your skin from touching the Elf, so that way your Elf will not lose its magic! Now the kids can touch their Elf! However, I suggest making the Elf Magic Gloves be something special that is only allowed some of the time!

The Elf on the Shelf does come with a book that is intended to be read on his first night in your home every holiday season, but you can omit that or combine it with another fun celebration. This is a tradition that you can tweak to work best for your family!

What do you do after you touch your elf? ›

Elf on the Shelf usually leaves on Christmas Eve. While this can be sad for many children, the elves must go back to the North Pole to report to Santa and help with Christmas. Don't worry though, they will be back next year!

An Elf for Christmas is just for Christmas. On Christmas Eve you can pack away Elf in his box until next year. Or as you tell the children – Elves need to go back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve to join their friends in sweeping up the leftover wrapping paper and start the toymaking for next year!

In computing, the Executable and Linkable Format (ELF, formerly named Extensible Linking Format), is a common standard file format for executable files, object code, shared libraries, and core dumps.

Papa Elf : You can bake cookies in a tree. Papa Elf : As you can imagine, it's, uh, dangerous having an oven in an oak tree during the dry season. Tree Elf : I want to make shoes! Papa Elf : But the third job, some call it, uh, "the show" or "the big dance," it's the profession that every elf aspires to.

The only rule for children is that they can't touch their elf or else the magic might disappear. Elf babies aren't an official toy from the Elf on the Shelf store, though many are dressed in the red outfits that match the signature elf.

Santa advises that no family member touch their Elf on the Shelf, but he does describe a few rare instances when an adult may use tongs or potholders to help an elf in an urgent situation.

Leave a note!

One popular way to bid farewell is to have your elf leave a special, personal message for your kid, whether it's a typewritten note or a message spelled out in candy or plastic letters on the fridge or on snow-painted window or mirror.

On the nights when your elf is ornery, he or she will leave a note apologizing for a mess. Elves also love to hide stuff (like stockings and candy canes) and there's notes with instructions to find…

Children are not allowed to touch them.

Elves are very fragile, and if they are touched by human children they lose their magic and ability to communicate with Santa.

How does the elf on the shelf get to your house? ›

Visit Santa's online adoption centre.

Parents, pull up Santa's online store, where all the magical creatures from the North Pole are available for adoption. After you pick a boy or girl elf, Santa will send your new helper straight to your home.

Do I need one Elf per child or one per household? The choice is yours. We have included two Nice List Certificates and two Letters to Santa in each kit, as these items are personal. All the other items can be shared as a family.

Some parents spend hundreds of dollars on supplies or pre-made kits with the props they need to make all of this happen. But other parents resist the idea of the elf entirely, with some citing concerns about using a spying elf as a behavior management tool.

#1 “Elf on the Shelf” encourages children to be deceitful.

I've heard stories of thoughtful children putting the elf in a box, turning him around, or covering him up so he can't “see” them. Rather than inspiring good behavior, Elf on the Shelf inspires “how can I still do what I want and get away with it”.

According to The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition, the night before Christmas, an elf's job comes to an end. On December 24, most Scout Elves say farewell to their families and fly back to the North Pole following Santa's sleigh.

The elf moves around the house, ready to catch unsuspecting children misbehaving so that he can report back to Santa. The tradition was created to encourage children to be on their best behavior during the holidays, and it is based on a 2004 book of the same name by Chanda Bell.