That little red Elf on the Shelf can be a pain in the neck for parents during the festive season.
Amid all the holiday hubbub — the shopping, the schlepping and gift-stashing — the last thing burned-out parents want to do is keep up with the tradition of hiding a mischievous lookout (who oft-makes messes or leaves elaborate gifts) around the house for the first 24 days of December.
The sweet-faced snoop, a 10-inch doll that each family assigns a special name, perches himself in homes and keeps an eye on children, ensuring they behave before the big guy comes down the chimney.
But, in reality, moms and dads are secretly doing most of the little guy’s legwork, and have deemed the tiny troublemaker ”annoying” and “stressful.”
“It’s a pain in the butt,” Beryl Goldblatt, a single mother to nine-year-old daughter, Blair, groaned to The Post.
“It’s just so stressful because I’m tired when I get home, I do my nightly routine to get my daughter in bed then I have sacrifice my relaxation time figuring out what this elf is going to do tonight and how I’m going to clean up the mess in morning,” lamented the native Long Islander.
“The other day she asked if our elf, Snowflake, would bring her Dunkin Donuts before she gets on the school bus at 6:30 a.m.,” continued Goldblatt, a retail visual design artist. “That would take me waking up at 5:30 a.m. to get the donut — that’s too much.”
And she’s not alone.
Thanks to platforms like TikTok and Instagram — where “over-achieving” parents tend to brag about the extravagant goodies their family’s elf left the kids, like a drone or gift cards to Starbucks and Sephora — The Elf on the Shelf fad has, too, become a who-did-it-best contest for some.
Even the creators of The Elf on a Shelf, 50-year-old twins Chanda Bell and Christa Pitts, understand why it can be frustrating, but recommend parents keep it simple.
“The people that get it, get it,” said Bell, founder and co-CEO of Lumistella Co., maker of The Elf on the Shelf, told The Post. “And the people that don’t — well, not everyone’s gonna like everything.”
She and Pitts launched The Elf on the Shelf brand, a cutesy concept originally hatched by their mom, Carol Aebersold, in September 2005 to much fanfare. Over 28 million Scout Elves, Elf Pets and Elf Mates have been sold globally since inception.
“The elf flies back and forth [from your home] to the North Pole and hides in a new space each night,” said Bell, a married mom of two from Georgia, adding her now-adult children, Taylor and Kendall, still fondly remember the glee of waking up to their elf’s silly stunts — like hiding in their freezer.
“He doesn’t have to be that complicated.”
After all, worthwhile experiences are what Pitts and Bell hope to create for worldwide fans of The Elf of the Shelf.
“I find it deeply rewarding to have others celebrate the tradition with the same magic and wonder and spirit of the season that we did when we were little,” Pitts told The Post. “We like leaning into the joy of the season.”
To increase the joy and lessen parents’ loads this holiday, she and Bell have rolled out two new kits, “The Official 24-day Ultimate Elf Ideas Kit” and “The Elf Ideas Super Set,” featuring ready-made backdrops and props, where little elves can hide and surprise the kiddos each morning.
“This is a full season of family fun for the 24 days leading up to Christmas at a cost of like $1.25 a day,” said Pitts.
But Bell said the best advice is to “keep the tradition simple — it’s all about what works for your family.”
Manhattan mom Liz Everett said not only does it work for her family, but it’s become sacred.
“Our elf, Elsie, is part of our family,” said Everett, 36, a married mom of two tweens, Ethan, 11, and Harper, 8.
“My favorite thing to hear every morning is, ‘Where’s Elsie? Where’s Elsie,’” added the millennial, a tech recruiter and lifestyle content creator. “The kids are almost at ages where they might lose the magic of Elf on the Shelf, so we’re enjoying every second of it while we still can.”
She and her husband Tim, first-year newcomers to New York from Texas, kicked off this year’s tradition with Elsie sneaking tastes of mom’s Ghirardelli chocolates. The next day, the lady elf set up a hot cocoa station for the Everetts to enjoy with breakfast.
“It gives Tim and me the chance to be creative and bond with our kids in a fun way,” said Everett, who spends less than 20 minutes and $10 conceptualizing and curating Elsie’s daily pop-ups.
“It can be a little time-consuming,” she conceded. “But this intentional time to connect with one another is worth it.”
Tips and tricks for Elf on the Shelf for a holly jolly holiday
1. Ride the “Shoe-Shoe” train: Line up a few shoes from heel to toe, place your family’s elf in the first shoe — making him or her the “conductor” — and place an inexpensive trinket or wrapped candy inside each remaining shoe.
2. Boards aren’t boring: Let your elf use a dry-erase board to leave fun and festive messages for the kids each morning.
3. Use items around the house: Use your kids’ toys, kitchen items and more to create a cute and easy setup for your elf.
4. Move the elf each night after the kids go to bed: This prevents you from having to wake up early each morning and rush to set up. And remember: the elf just has to move, no need to make it elaborate! The simple things are just as fun and magical. No matter what, your kids will love it.
5. Art your heart out: If your elf has a penchant for goofy hijinks, use makeup or a skin-safe marker to draw a handle-bar mustache on dad.
6. App-solutely Inspiring: The “Scout Elf Ideas” app provides daily photos, ideas and reminders to help moms and dads become inspired during the holidays.