‘Elf on the Shelf’ co-founders respond to parents who think tradition is ‘stressful’
What started as a fun holiday tradition for the kids has turned into a talent show on social media.
We’re talking about the popular “Elf on the Shelf” tradition — and some parents are growing tired of it.
“It’s a pain in the butt,” one single mother, Beryl Goldblatt, said of her Scout Elf in an interview with the New York Post.
“I’m tired when I get home. I do my nightly routine to get my daughter in bed then I have [to] sacrifice my relaxation time figuring out what this elf is going to do tonight,” she continued.
Other parents are complaining that setting up new scenes with the Scout Elf is too “stressful” and “annoying” to keep up with daily.
That criticism isn’t lost on “Elf on the Shelf” creators Chanda Bell and Christa Pitts, who responded to the complaints while speaking with the Post.
“The people that get it, get it,” Bell told the outlet. “And the people that don’t — well, not everyone’s gonna like everything.”
The twin sisters, who act as co-founders and co-CEOs of Lumistella Co., the company that owns the “Elf on the Shelf” brand, urged parents to dial it back if it’s too overwhelming.
“He doesn’t have to be that complicated,” Bell continued.
At least that’s not what Bell and her mother, Carol Aebersold, intended when they created the tradition in 2005.
It all started when the duo published a book titled, “The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition.”
That book came in a special box with a small Scout Elf inside.
“The elf flies back and forth [from your home] to the North Pole and hides in a new space each night,” Bell told the Post.
The Scout Elf was never meant to be mischievous and there was never supposed to be any large messes to clean up.
But as some parents began to share more elaborate adventures their Scout Elf gets into on social media, other parents begin to feel like they’re not doing enough.
“The other day [my daughter] asked if our elf, Snowflake, would bring her Dunkin Donuts before she gets on the school bus at 6:30 a.m.,” Goldblatt said to the Post.
“That would take me waking up at 5:30 a.m. to get the donut — that’s too much,” she added.
Bell and Pitts hear those objections loudly and clearly.
That’s why they’ve introduced two new kits this year to give parents everything they need for 24 days of elf-sized festivities.
“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,” Pitts said.
The kits, which feature ready-made backdrops and miniature props, are intended to take some of the creative pressure off parents’ shoulders this holiday season, while maximizing the fun for the kids.
But still, Bell’s advice stays the same.
“Keep the tradition simple. It’s all about what works for your family,” she said.
And while some parents admit that the nightly ritual is “time-consuming,” a lot of them say it’s worth it.
“It gives [my husband] and me the chance to be creative and bond with our kids in a fun way,” one mother told the Post.
That’s what the “Elf on the Shelf” tradition is all about and it’s what Aebersold, Bell and Pitts created it for.
“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 said.
“We like leaning into the joy of the season,” she added
