I don’t know a lot about this “Elf on a Shelf” business. But here’s what I understand: You buy an Elf doll that you move around to a new spot in the house at night. The Elf “watches” your kids all day and night and decides if they are “good” children or “bad” children, and then tells Santa about it.
Ok, so, call me the “Fun Police” but there is no elfing way that I want my children to feel that their actions are being watched by a little doll. I don’t want them to feel that they are being helicoptered, day and night, and that their behavior will indicate the type of Christmas morning that they will have. Honestly, it seems manipulative to me.
I don’t want my kids to behave well because they are paranoid.
I don’t want my kids to be afraid to mess up.
I don’t wan’t to send this false message to my children:
“Your receiving gifts on Christmas is directly related to your behavior, as is observed by a elf whose sole job is to creep around judging you all day. So be careful, little one, don’t screw up, or Santa will withhold his gifts from you, giving them only to the “good” kids.”
This is total crap.
My kid’s aren’t “good.” I’m not “good.” None of us are. And trying to be good is a pursuit that ends only in failure and guilt. God hasn’t called us to be “good.” He has called us to love him and each other, and to come to him, fully aware of our lack of goodness.
This Elf on the Shelf thing preaches the complete opposite of the Christmas story.
How ironic.
Jesus came to save us. Because we are screwed up. Because we can’t be good. Because we will always fail in our pursuits of “goodness.”
And you know what? He showers us with gifts regardless of this behavior. Regardless of our shortcomings and lack of self-control he LOVES us and gave us His Son who DIED for us. Because we are not, and never will be good. Not because we behaved ourselves knowing that He has spies hovering over us, observing our every action, and reporting back to the Him, at which point He would decide if we were deserving of his gifts or not…because we NEVER would be.
Maybe I’m thinking into this too much, but the Elf on the Shelf thing completely kills the message of Grace. It makes for a Performance-based Christmas…Christianity. And I don’t want that theology to be ingrained in my children’s heads.
Christmas is an opportunity to give gifts to our children regardless of their behavior. Simply because we love them. Because it’s fun.
Because it helps them to better understand God.
So, no. There will be no Elf in our home. Now, garland and twinkly lights, spiked cider and homemade goodies…yes. Those you will find on our shelf.
live well. be well.
