If your elf didn't move, they may be trying to communicate an important message to you! If your elf is accidentally touched, they may have just enough energy to get to the North Pole, but not enough magic to create a whole new scene in your home.
Elves need to wait until everyone is asleep before they can move around. If there was too much activity around the house last night, perhaps your elf only had time to get to the North Pole and back, but not enough time to find a new position. Make sure you get to bed early tonight to help them out!
Some make their first appearance on Thanksgiving night, and others wait until December. Most of them will arrive during the official Scout Elf Return Week though, which is November 23 through December 2. If your little friend hasn't shown up by early December, it might be worth a note to Santa to check up on him!
According to The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition, the night before Christmas, an elf's job comes to an end. On December 24, most Scout Elves say farewell to their families and fly back to the North Pole following Santa's sleigh. This way, they can help him begin preparing for the year ahead.
By age eight, kids begin to acknowledge the unlikeliness of one man travelling the world in a single night. The good news? If you started the tradition of Elf on the Shelf in your household, you can likely send the elf into early retirement around your child's eighth Christmas.
What to Do If Your Elf Is Touched. Don't stress. Your little Elf is going to spring right back into their Christmas spirit in no time at all.
If little ones find their Scout Elf sitting on something they need to use, like relaxing in their sink, lying on their bookbag or hanging on their clothes, then it is okay for parents to move the elf, so kids can complete their morning routine and elves can get back to their important job!
The night before Christmas, the elf flies off one last time to spend the year with Santa until reappearing next season. Every night, a parent hides the elf in a new place.
As the story goes, elves arrive around Thanksgiving and keep watch of children up until Christmas Eve. Every night during this time, elves fly to the North Pole to report to the big guy, ya know, Santa, about the kids' naughty or niceness, then return to a new spot each morning.
Do Elf Pets Stay all year? While The Elf On The Shelf Elves do leave on Christmas Eve, Elf Pets don't have to leave. Our Elf On The Shelf Saint Bernard stays for year round cuddles and collects Christmas cheer year round.
Because human touch causes magic lost, you cannot touch the Elf on the Shelf. It is important to share this Elf Rule with your child immediately upon Elf adoption. If it is Christmas Eve, you can touch the Elf on the Shelf on the last night.
Does your Elf on the Shelf® come back every year? Most Scout Elves return to their families around the same time every year, during Scout Elf Return Week – a week-long window at the end of November, leading into December.
If your kids purposefully touch their Elf on the Shelf, you can have their elf spend a day away at the North Pole. Write a brief letter from your elf to explain that because they were touched, they have to spend the day getting their magic fixed at the North Pole and there will be no fun antics happening that day.
An elf does not want to report a child's bad behavior to Santa. Instead of reporting naughty behavior, they will stay in their spot for a few days until there is something nice to report to Santa. If you want your elf to move, you better be good!
The official Elf on the Shelf website details the three rules to follow. The first and most important rule is that you must NOT touch your Elf. If you do, they will lose all their magic - and nobody wants that to happen.
“Are Mom and Dad really Santa?” We know that you want to know the answer and we had to give it careful thought to know just what to say. The answer is no. We are not Santa. There is no one, single Santa.
Like track Santa, you can now track elves. This year you'll be ready to catch them on camera using Elf Cam.
In some cases, they could also disappear when touched, such as when a dog might get a hold of them. In such cases, where an elf may be in an urgent situation or other sticky place (such as falling off a shelf after losing their balance), parents can touch them (using tongs or kitchen gloves) to come to the elf's aid.
After you pick a boy or girl elf, Santa will send your new helper straight to your home. Put it in a wish list.
Once your Scout Elf has their magic, they must preserve it as much as they can. Your family can help by never touching your elf. If you accidentally touch your elf, they could lose their magic and be unable to fly to the North Pole. Luckily, Santa's thought of everything, so restoring the magic is simple.
If your elf didn't move, they may be trying to communicate an important message to you! If your elf is accidentally touched, they may have just enough energy to get to the North Pole but not enough magic to create a whole new scene in your home.
Give the Elf a Hug.
While normally this is not ok and the elf will lose his magic, Santa gives special permission on Christmas Eve for the kids to hug their elves good bye.
"There is no such thing as being too old to believe in Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy," Kelman tells Yahoo Life. "Letting kids figure it out on their own is preferable to parents breaking the news to them.