The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition

Nice

I purchased the Elf on the Shelf in November and started using it December 1st. We are not doing the naughty elf, so he simply changes positions every night. It has made getting up and going in the morning more enjoyable for my 2 little kids (3 & 4). If we ask them if they want to see if Chippy (our Elfs name)has moved overnight, they are happily getting out of bed. This has been a nice change from the sour attitude weve had lately from the 4 year old. The story is nice to introduce the Elf. The website where you go and register your elf is well made and the activities (coloring pages, letter to Santa, etc.) were fun for my kids to do. I like what the elf looks like because he reminds me of elves my grandma had as decorations when I was a little child. My kids are not afraid of him, but I can see how some kids might be. My one and only complaint, and the reason that I didnt give it 5 stars, is that I really wish that the elf was posable (had wire in his arms & legs). It makes it difficult to be too creative with what to do with him when he is limited to sitting places. I will be spending a bit of time this morning seeing if I can insert some wire myself.

I used it for my autistic child right after xmas

This creature possesses dark magic. I thought I was going to have to move him around like other people say they do but I didnt. He was always in a different place in the morning. At first the things Jingle did were pretty cute; making the toilet paper into a snow man, writing notes to my child in cute backwards handwriting...but then things started to get strange. The first morning that I became concerned was when I found him in my daughters bathroom in front of the mirror that had writing on it. I expected it to say something cute like Its almost Christmas or Happy Holidays! but what I found was REDRUM. Being horror movie fans, I just chalked it up to him trying to mess with my husband and I and told my daughter that he was just being silly. But then the next morning, I found something VERY disturbing. Jingle was sitting in my daughters floor with one of her barbies in A NOOSE. After this occurred I told my daughter I thought it was time to send Jingle back to the North Pole and ask Santa for a new elf. She was confused but said okay. So I took the elf and tossed him in the dumpster at our apartments and went to Target to purchase a new one. Due to being freaked out over the elf I had received I purchased a girl one this time. That night I showed my child her new Elf on a Shelf and she named her Lulu Bell. That evening I placed Lulu Bell in the Christmas tree and the next morning she was still there! I was elated that I had finally gotten a normal elf and that Jingle was gone. I went to bed that next night after putting Lulu Bell on the couch with a book on her lap and the next morning I woke up to my daughter screaming. I ran into the living room to find Lulu Bell on the floor with what I assumed was ketchup on her neck and there beside her was Jingle, with a butter knife in his hand and ketchup on it as well. I quickly called Amazon and informed them of the situation and then I found out, they had never sent me an elf because the one I wanted was on back order.... (This was a fictional story for the amusement of myself and others. My true review is that my daughter loved her elf and we had a lot of fun with it!)

I would give this 5 stars, but I ordered back in October and just put it on top of my closet til the night of the 30th of November. And when I got it out I noticed it was a girl and not a boy like I ordered. Still using the elf and just calling it a boy, but my kids cousins have pointed out to him that his elf is a girl. And Ive assured him either is fine, its just here to report back to Santa each night. Just wish since boy is advertised that thats what I wouldve got sent.

This was a big hit this year with our daughter. She is 8 and we were not sure she would enjoy it. We were very wrong. We brought this out after Thanksgiving, read the book and have been enjoying the crazy and weird things this elf does every night. On a few occasions, our daughter swore he moved when we were not home and even left it a picture and notes. It is nice to see her wake up happy and ready to find the little rascal. The elf itself consists of a typical stuffing material and is pretty bendable and strong. We have had him bend-hung-flattened and he is like new with no signs of any issues. The box it comes with is very solid and makes for a great sturdy storage for in between seasons. Great idea that once you buy it, will provide years of enjoyment. Highly recommend. Might even be adding the girl version in the future. I took one star away as the hands lacked an important feature. They come stitched together which limit the function for positions, etc a great deal. They should put strong magnets in the hands so that you can separate them and use them for metal object ideas, etc.

We just bought the elf on the shelf to start as a Christmas season tradition with our little ones. We have two girls, ages 4 and 2, and they are enthralled with the elf. I have been moving him around the house when they are sleeping. So far he has been on a shelf, in the Christmas tree, in a stocking, and hanging out on the ceiling fan. The first thing they do every morning is go on an elf hunt. They spend time talking to him every day, telling him things they want, trying to convince him to forget if they were bad, and highlighting nice things they did during the day. We had a great time picking a name for him. I can honestly say that knowing he is watching has given them pause a few times when embarking on questionable behavior. The only negatives I give this product is the lack of pose-ability. If it were wired in some way to allow it to be positioned differently, or to stand, it would be a much more versatile product. I can think of tons of cute ways to set him up, but he is too floppy to do it. Also, my older daughter has been asking astute questions like how can he get places since he has no feet, etc...Had to make her believe that he flies everywhere he goes, so he doesnt NEED feet. This was rather a hard sell since she pointed out the Superman can fly and HE still has feet..so future product suggestions to help pull this off would include some little pointed shoes and some stiffening wire. It would make it that much more life-like.

Our three year old twins are getting old enough where they are starting to understand certain concepts so we thought this Christmas would be the perfect year to purchase an Elf on the Shelf. They loved it and had so much fun with it! I believe Elf on the Shelf is a relatively new tradition but I love the look of the scout elf because he has the look of a 1950s figurine. Included in the very sturdy and reusable box is the elf and a colorful, hardcover storybook which explains in a rhyming, storytelling manner how to use the Elf on the Shelf. The elf itself is approximately 13 inches tall, fully-extended, and his outfit feels like it is made of a felt-like material. His body is stuffed with plastic pellets and his head is made of hard plastic with nicely painted-on facial features. He doesnt sit very well by himself but there are plenty of ways to prop him up. His hands are also stitched together which makes it fun to dangle him from a doorknob, chandelier, or any other fun spot you can think of! The storybook is a beautiful hardcover with colorful pictures and the book reads like a rhyme. It is approximately 26 pages long and explains how the Elf on the Shelf works. The idea behind it is the scout elf is sent to your family each year and will keep an eye on the children on behalf of Santa. You get to name the elf and he will continue to be your familys scout elf. At night, the elf will fly to the North Pole to report good and/or naughty behavior, then fly back to the family where he will get into something during the night and the children will wake up the next morning, excited to find him! The elf is always watching and the only rule is that the elf cant be touched otherwise the magic will disappear. When the elf flies back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve, he wont return to your family until the next Christmas season. I really love this activity for my kids and felt that, at almost three years old, it was the perfect age to introduce this to them! My kids always got so excited to look for our elf in the morning and kept asking throughout the day why he was trying to get out the door or why he was hanging from the Christmas tree. I was also very impressed with how well my kids listened to the rule and they never touched him. Whenever they started acting up, I would tell them our elf is watching and we dont want him to have to report any naughty behavior to Santa. It didnt always work but hey, I tried. Overall, I think this is a great activity for families and I felt it was very reasonably priced for the amount of fun we had. I highly recommend this to give your kids something to look forward to every morning during the Christmas season!

I got this for my nephews first christmas and my sister loves it. I cant wait to see what she does with him and how hell love it.

I was a little hesitant purchasing The Elf on the Shelf, because I dont try to focus Christmas entirely on the Santa aspect, but more on the giving aspect. I broke down and got one this year figuring if I really didnt like it or thought it put too much emphasis on gifts that I could tell my son that Santa decided he was good enough he didnt need to send the elf for following years. The night after Thanksgiving our Elf landed on our mantel. I called my son (almost 4) and daughter (22 months) in the room and my husband and I read the book to them and explained the process and rules of our new house guest. I never couldve imagined how interactive this little guy would be. My son insisted that his name is Elfey, and is so excited to talk to him every morning. He is genuinely concered about how is trip was and if he got too cold. I absolutely love listening to their one-sided conversation. He knows that if he is naughty Elfey will have to tell Santa and that he may not get his Santa gift this year. The only downside I can see is that my son is already sad at the thought that Elfey will go back to the North Pole with Santa on Christmas Eve and will be gone for an entire year...Hopefully the gift Santa leaves will alleviate this dreaded time. This doll is a great size big enough that my kids can spot him no matter where he decides to land for the day, but small enough that he can fit in/on anything, he even decided to perch on our Christmas tree one day. He has a great little face that adds a lot of character and life to the little doll. The book says the kids arent allowed to touch the elf, which is why its okay that Elfey isnt the most durable toy around. I have no doubt he will be more than able to survive the years of perching around my house for my kids and possibly even grandkids.