And ? what did you decide ? You’ll find many different opinions about it. In the end of the day it’s your own decision

I love doing the elf on the shelf every year, my 12 year old loves getting involved in helping me find spots now that he’s in the know. I’ve googled hiding places when I get stuck, there are loads of great ideas out there that you can easily do last minute, so as much as it can be a pain when you do forget, it’s still awesome seeing excitement on my younger kids when they look for him each morning.

I was a kid who really believed toys were sentient beings. Elf on the shelf would have freaked me out a little. But, I’d you’re kids are less kooky then what I was, they might enjoy it.

Elf on the Shelf should be a fun family activity. We enjoy a little bit of magic and fun around Christmas time with Elf on the Shelf. .

Don’t do it. You’ll be stuck with it for years…

Definitely. My kids absolutely loved it. Was so easy to incorporate there toys into it to add fun and google has soo many ideas to copy

I think it’s a fantastic tradition and my kids absolutely adore our elf. Downsides – you have to be organised, I plan the month out ahead of time. Early mornings , the kids are sometimes so excited they will get up earlier to see what she has been up to. Totally worth it all though seeing the joy.

We haven’t committed to elf on the shelf, but we have a magic ‘elf’ who near christmas shows signs they are around. Maybe some glitter in the shower, a note under the piillow etc
It’s not about lying to the child – it’s about creating some magic at christmas time

This Elf on the Shelf thing is not for me thanks I find it just way too stupid and does not make sense.
My friend still does it for her daughter and her daughter is now turning 10 which is absolutely absurd.

We never did Elf on the shelve.
Many parents enlist help from an Elf on the Shelf to remind our kids that he’s keeping tabs and monitoring their place on the infamous naughty or nice list. We explain he’ll report back to Santa every night regarding their behavior.
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 …

if you do decide to do it, there are creative ideas for elf adventures on line.

We love Elf on the Shelf because it is fun to think of different areas of the house and garden for our elf. It can be fun to create different scenarios for our elf. If an activity brings joy it is well worth the effort for us. It is up to everyone if this activity is taken on.

I never had elf when my kids were young and always thought he’d be a pain in the butt. However, my grandson has him and it is SO much fun! There’s lots of ideas online

I think you answered yourself, finding a spot every night would be a challenge. Maybe you could just but her one and say he arrives as a surprise in December and she has to look after him until Xmas I don’t actually like the look of them. There have been cuter ones in Target & Kmart over the years.