It’s that time again, the time when the cleverest, craftiest moms and dads dust off their favorite Pinterest boards and create Elf magic!
On one hand, I think it’s great to find a way to do something your kids want to do, in a way that falls in line with your core family values. It’s a good compromise.
However, if it’s just not your thing, I want you to know it really is okay to let go of the mom guilt, opt out of the overwhelm and just say no to this trend!
I promise that it will be fine! More than fine!
So what do you tell your kids when you don’t want to participate?!
Here is our go- to:
All families have different traditions. Some families do Elf on a Shelf. Others put up a tree on Thanksgiving, while some wait for December. Some families do not celebrate Christmas. Then enter all of the things YOUR family does.
For our family, we have many wonderful family traditions. We do participate in a kindness calendar with a sweet elf- who is about truth, love and kindness, encouraging and promoting happiness and joy, and spreading generosity. Our little elf, isn’t mischievous and doesn’t spy on us, but he does help us with some fun activities for the 25 days of Christmas.
Check out a few of our favorite fun holiday/ winter ideas here .
We go on adventures to see lights, we help others who need a little extra love around the holidays and most importantly he has shown us that experiences are what our family needs and loves the most! These are great things we love doing that are part of what makes our family unique and special.
We love the holidays–the lights, the smells, the time with family, doing [non] + traditional activities, creating new traditions, the songs, and the gift giving! But for our family the mischievous version of the elf isn’t welcome in our home.
And that is perfectly ok!
Just remember, YOUR elf [or lack of an elf in your home] and the traditions around it can be whatever YOU want it to be for YOUR family. They DO NOT have to be nearly as complex as your social media friends make it out to be.
What are your thoughts when it comes to the Elf on the Shelf?