The arrival of December means the countdown to Christmas Day has officially started, but for parents, it also marks the return of the infamous Elf on the Shelf. Despite being a phenomenon amongst kids across the country, some adults can't bear to take part in the annual activity, which sees parents place their Elf in a new hiding place each morning through December for children to find.
Taking to popular forum Mumsnet, a mum has sparked debate after refusing to undergo the tradition this year. The woman explained to her son that the iconic elf only makes an appearance when children misbehave, but she's quickly regretting her decision.
Captioning the viral post, the mum-of-one wrote: "To say no to elf on the shelf."
She explained: "My son is five and in year one, this morning all the children were excited that their elves had visited them.
"I had previously told him that the elves were for children that miss behaved and the elves could report back to Santa.
"Now it looks like half his class has been miss behaving and I don't want him thinking he needs to be naughty to get an elf.
"I really don't want to begin Elf on the Shelf, so I was hoping you lovely lot could help me come up with a better excuse before school picks up this afternoon."
Flocking to the comments, the mum's post sparked a big debate between parents - who were torn about undergoing the annual tradition.
One parent wrote: "I've just told my kids I'm too busy to do Elf on the Shelf! It's a fun game, some families choose to play it but we don't."
"I refuse to do it too for my five-year-old - do not have the capacity to think of 24 ways an elf can make mess," a second added.
On the other hand, other parents are big fans of the tradition.
One person said: "We do it and it's just a bit of fun. We don't do big 'stunts' so no cleaning up flour etc but they just move around and stuff.
"It makes my children have a bit of a laugh in the morning, nothing more and nothing less. There's no talk of naughty kids or being watched- it's just something silly to do."
A different user penned: "It's not about having too much time on one's hand at all! My two absolutely love it and I go ALL out, because it makes me happy to see their little faces light up each morning. Each to their own! #elffan."
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