Because I am – as J puts it – “obsessed with Christmas” – we have many holiday traditions in our family. However we’ve never done the “Elf on the Shelf” thing before.
But my sister’s kids have always had an Elf on the Shelf during the Christmas season, and this year, 4 year old C started asking why we don’t have our own magical elf hanging around.
Thus, please allow me to introduce you to D’Brickashaw, our new Elf on the Shelf.
Because C seemed so into the idea, I acquired an elf this weekend. She wanted to name him “Elfy,” but her 13 year old big brother E immediately christened him “D’Brickashaw” instead. And it stuck.
I assumed this was a very E-like made up name (and a great one at that) but it turns out that our elf actually has a proud name lineage.
In any event, he’s already flown to the North Pole and back this weekend to report on G’s latest misdeeds. And when he goes back tonight, he’ll have plenty of new material for Santa after the day we’ve had around here.
Do any of y’all have an Elf on the Shelf at Christmastime? Does he have a name? Is his name as cool as D’Brickashaw the Elf’s name?
Our Elf has been visiting for a few years, but we just named him Dunkin. According to the book that came with ours, you can't touch the elf for fear he may lose his Christmas magic. My 4 year old regularly attempts to touch him so that "he can't go see Santa and talk to him…."
I think D' Brickashaw is the perfect name! Well named, Elliot.
I'm not really the one to ask about these things, not being a celebrator of Christmas, but out of curiosity I Googled Elf on the Shelf and about puked. This is worse than Cabbage Patch Kids. Elf Adoption Center? Elf Adoption Papers? As an adoptive parent, I am grossed out. It's bad enough we have Adopt-a-Highway and Adopt-a-Traffic Circle and Adopt-a-Book and Adopt-a-Duck.
Here's a link for an article about why adoptive families find "adopt-a-prgrams" hurtful and insensitive.
http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/printable/AdoptAP…
Now some clever merchandiser has invented Adopt an Elf? I'm sorry, this is a tradition created by the same brains that bring us As Seen on TV, Infomercials, Thomas Kinkaid, etc.
Really? You are THAT offended? Come on…
Jzzy55: I'm adopted and never ONCE equated "adopt a highway" or Elf on a Shelf to degrading the notion of adoption. I'm also really short and still not offended by Elf on a Shelf. It is what it is. Kids like to wake up and look for it. That's it. Its about creating a little excitement for children.
Man, some people ned to get some perspective. It never fails to surprise the things people claim to be offensive.
P.S. Your link explains nothing. I see a sample letter I can't even read.
That's nice for you, Gumdrop. The link has to be downloaded, as it explains clearly.
As an adoptive parent, I have always disliked "Adopt a Highway" and the phoney adoption papers that come with some toys, however, my children have always told me to "Take A Chill" over the issue. They agree that you actually cannot adopt a highway, and the word "sponsor" should be used, but my daughters think adoptive parents get way more worked up over it than adopted people themselves. We had these discussions from the time they were little. They're now 19 and 23.
I have never even heard of this tradition until this year, and now many people I know are talking about it. I think it sounds like fun, but I would forego the adoption aspect myself.
And as adoptive parents, shouldn't we let our children be our guide? After all, they are the ones who were adopted, not us. And like you said, you can have an elf in your house without the elf being adopted. Either way, my children are very proud that they are adopted, are very open about their adoption story, and that is what is important to me.
I believe I have heard it all. Pretty soon we won't be able to say anything because it will be offensive to someone. Too fat, too short, too skinny, wrong color, wrong gender, on and on and on we go. This just makes me so mad, I can't stand it. Where does it stop?
Merry Christmas everyone, OH , wait should I say Happy Holiday's. I get so confused.
I let my kids be the guide on things like this. I have 4 kids, 3 of which are adopted from foster care and very informed about their adoption story. My littlest actually wants a cabbage patch doll BECAUSE she can be adopted. Just because that doll comes from the cabbage patch doesn't mean my daughter thinks she is from the cabbage patch. She knows she came from her biomom's belly. Likewise, I always think of adoption as a term that means making your own. Just like you might "adopt" a lifestyle etc.
Just a different viewpoint. I have been thinking of getting an elf for the kids, they have them at school.
"Puked"? "Grossed out"? Seriously???
I'm an adoptee (adopted at birth in a domestic agency adoption), and those "Adopt-A- …" programs and products (i.e., Cabbage Patch dolls) honestly don't bother me one iota. I don't consider them degrading or demeaning or disrespectfuI.
Heck, I refer to the way in which we obtained our two dogs (and our two cats before them) as "adopted from [rescue group]", and I see nothing objectionable or ironic in that. I'm glad people "adopt" highways (it keeps them cleaner) and zoo animals (it helps keep them fed and cared for). I was already way past "doll age" when Cabbage Patch kids came into being, but my younger, also-adopted cousin wanted one sooo badly … and part of the appeal was the fact that the doll WAS being "adopted", Just like my cousin. Imagine that.
"Adoption" in all of these scenarios is used to mean "taking on the care and responsibility of something voluntarily … not because you are OBLIGATED to, but because it matters that much to you". Sorry, but I see that as a *positive* thing.
I'm very thankful for my parents, and for the fact that they adopted me, and I love them dearly … but I don't consider adoption to be some holy grail of action or being. Nor am I ashamed of, or resentful about, being adopted. While I do think that there should be some major reform of adoption laws, which I won't get into here, that has nothing to do with the "adoption" of the term "adoption" in other types of situations. Being adopted does not define me, nor is it something I even think about most of the time. It's just one part of who I am, like my curly hair or love of reading.
I emailed my biomom (my adoption was closed as most were "back in the day", but we made contact about 12 years ago and mainly keep in touch via email and FB) to see if her perspective on the issue is any different than mine; she, too, is puzzled over the brouhaha and finds nothing remotely objectionable about the "Adopt-A ,,.," terminology. Nor do my parents – my dad happened to call while I was typing this comment, and he was as taken aback as I was at how vehemently some in the triad apparently find the term objectionable. Honestly, both my dad and my b-mother thought that the pearl clutching was sort of silly.
So Jzzy55, I'd respectfully suggest that you lighten up, but you're obviously entitled to your opinion. However, please know that you do not speak for all of us in the triad by a longshot,
Back to the subject at hand (and Katie, apologies for the long-winded post hijack; that response obviously hit a nerve) … We don't celebrate Christmas, either, but I've been hearing and reading about the "Elf on the Shelf" phenomenon lately and I think it's a pretty darn cool idea that sounds like a lot of fun. Love the name that E. chose for your elfin guy, as well! Trying to come up with so many unique hiding places might be a challenge, I'd imagine, but as long as it doesn't stress you out and as long as the family is into it (and as long as Danger Baby doesn;t decide to rip a leg off of D'Brickashaw) – game on, and enjoy! (And now I think I need to indulge in my yearly viewing of "Miracle on 34th Street this evening … original, B&W Maureen O'Hara/Natalie Wood version, of course!
bah hum bug to you. The fact that you are taking it so seriously is kinda sad, Let people enjoy their Christmas traditions without passing judgment.
make that Kinkade.
our elf is named "green shoes" but he has red shoes.
We don't have an actual Elf that you can see (yet). We have Brindl the Christmas Pixie Elf who leaves candy in the advent calendar – but ONLY if certain little 4 year olds are good!
We have an elf on the shelf. He's not adopted. He's a magic elf who my four year old son named Jolly because, as he put it, "Christmas is a happy time and jolly means happy." My kids believe with all their hearts that Jolly flies back to the North Pole each night to report their good and bad deeds to Santa.
Ours is Tommy.
Our elf proudly holds the name of Herman. I've kicked up the antics of the elf this year after being inspired by ideas on Pinterest. So many fun ideas!
I've never heard of this before. I wonder where this started? We do a lot of "phone calls to Santa" to keep 'em in line though
Every year I think about it, but don't do it for some reason.
Our elf is Eddie. I kind of wish we never did it. Because it's such a pain to remember to move the guy every night! Then again the girls get so excited to run and find him every morning. But there are many nights I wake up panicking if me or my husband remembered to move Eddie.
I just learned this book was written by a women in Atlanta and it was based on the Swedish tradition in her family. When no one would publish the book she decided to do it herself. That story made me feel better about the darn little guy.
Our elf tradition started when you were little with the elves Gun brought each of you from Sweden. I think Betsy still has one of them.
Our elf tradition started when you were little and Gun brought each of you one from Sweden. I think Betsy may have one of them.
That is a great name! We have Kofi and one of the things I really enjoy about this is how even my big kids look forward to finding him with my four year old. I also dig how you can be as simple in hiding him as you like, or as creative as you want to be. I've seen some really clever ideas out there! So fun.
We don't do the Elf on the Shelf, but we have a lot of deer around here, and when we see one in December I tell my boys that the ones with horns are actually reindeer and they are watching to report on how they are behaving to Santa. Last year we had a huge buck on our front lawn right outside our door and I called the boys down to see that he was watching them. They were duly impressed!
Ha! I LOVE this!!! Spy deer…. I think this is going to be put in place in my house this Christmas Season as well!
We just got an Elf on the Shelf this year too! Dylan named it Girl, we tried to sway him to another name, but he was very insistent on Girl. He has loved reading the book that came with the elf too. And every morning he rushes downstairs to see where the elf has moved to, but I don't think it's help his behavior much!
Ours is Elvis. He's not having much of an effect and I agree, moving him every night is annoying!!! lol
Sometimes you really have to work hard to get your poor-offended-me on. Honestly, to me the word adoption just means a desire to commit to something. When you adopt a child, you are committing to that child and you have no intentions of every turning your back. When you adopt a highway, you commit to keeping it up and not forgetting your promise. Children adopt a Cabbage Patch because it is like having your own baby. They want to be its forever mommy. Adopting an Elf is just a cute play on taking on one of these little Christmas cuties, and that little Elf is like a little member of the family… he won't be tossed with the flattened bows, he will be brought out and played with year after year. He becomes a tradition and we commit to that tradition for our children. Really, rethink what we mean by adoption.
Our elf is Earle.
We hve an elf named Brigette. She commits some act of mischief each night until she returns to the North Pole w/ Santa on Xmas eve. The kids begin asking for her to come immediatley after T'giving, but I'm able to persuade her to stay away until the 1st week of Dec. It's exhausting coming up w/ new deeds each night, and then cleaning up after her each morning.
Have you searched on Pinterest for Elf on the Shelf ideas? Oh my, they have fabulous bits of mischief for your elf to commit each night. My son is only 11 months, but I can't wait to make his mornings magical in the coming years with elfin dust.
I want my kids to behave because it's part of being a member of the household, not because Santa is always watching them. Constantly reminding them that their behavior will affect their ability to get material gifts is untrue and inspires the wrong kind of motivation. I think the Santa myth is fun, but I don't like holding it over my children's heads.
Oh my goodness, I really respect how you want to handle your family. I too, struggled with Santa Claus when my kids were little, but now that I'm a grandma, I really think I was ridiculously over the edge. Everyone needs to LIGHTEN UP!!!
My boyfriend and I always joke about the name D'Brickashaw. I hear so many other people joke about it, too! I wonder if D'Brickashaw Ferguson has any idea. Great elf name!
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