When the weather is extremely windy or snowy, Scout Elves work really hard to fly back to their families' homes. In these cases, elves will be more tired than usual, and they might doze off and fall. If this happens, a parent can use potholders to help them back onto their post.
According to the official "Elf on the Shelf" website, "Christmas magic is very fragile, and if scout elves are touched they may lose their magic." It doesn't specify that this only applies to kids, so we're guessing this applies to any humans.
Per official Elf on the Shelf lore, a touched Scout Elf loses their magic. Learning this fact could leave your kids spiraling down an endless rabbit hole of unwanted outcomes — ending up on the naughty list and Christmas being cancelled being their chief concerns, according to my own kids.
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.
Santa advises that no family member touch their Elf on the Shelf, but he does describe a few rare instances when an adult may use tongs or potholders to help an elf in an urgent situation. Parents: read on to learn about special, few and far between cases where emergency help will be required.
The truth is, Scout Elves only move when they are certain noone else is around. This is because when they're with you, they must fulfill their duty for Santa, watching and listening to every single thing that happens in your home.
Your Scout Elf may need an extra day or two to digest his or her holiday treats and get back into tip-top flying shape before returning. A snowstorm held them up. It's not easy to drive in the snow—much less fly!
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.
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!
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.
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. When scout elves lose their magic, they can't go about their Christmas duties. This means no presents for anyone in your family!
Because the Elf on the Shelf “moves” each night, belief can sometimes be suspended into thinking that it is real. And for all intents and purposes, the Elf on the Shelf is real. It's a real doll, after all.
Perhaps you have the rule that adults can move the Elf on the Shelf, as long as they don't use their hands. This means using kitchen tongs, two forks, a spatula, chopsticks or any other kitchen utensil in your arsenal.
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.
Some people don't and some people do. The reason you would cut them would be to make your elf easier to position when placing him each night. I have also seen tutorials online that help teach you how to add wire to your EOTS's arms and legs, so you can bend them in fun positions.
“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.
The Elf on the Shelf tradition started back in 2005 when Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell, self-published the book “The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition” along with a special box with a small Scout Elf inside.
Inside the box we have stamped the Welcome letter with the 'North Pole Elf Mail' postmark, so when you decide Elf arrives, your children will see it's authentic. Do I need one Elf per child or one per household? The choice is yours.
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.
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.
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.
Many psychologists suggest that, like believing in Santa, participating in the Elf on the Shelf can foster creativity and imagination. This depends on how "imagination" is defined.