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.
As an avid elf fan, you already know the number one rule about having a Scout Elf: no touching! This helps Scout Elves keep their Christmas magic so they can complete their important Christmas duties.
Elves are very fragile, and if they are touched by human children they lose their magic and ability to communicate with Santa.
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.
Elf on the Shelf is a Christmas tradition that sees parents moving an Elf on the Shelf (also known as a "Scout Elf") around the house every day to keep an eye on children ahead of Santa's visit.
Your elf ate too many treats from Mrs. Claus' Sweet Shop™. It can happen to the best elf (or human) when so many tantalizing treats are floating around during the holidays! 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.
Santa is real in the sense that he was an actual person. Otherwise known as Saint Nicholas, his story goes all the way back to the 3rd century. He was a monk who was born in 280 A.D. in modern-day Turkey. As an only child, he was given great affection by his parents.
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.
Not so fast. The crux of this toy is that the elf is not-so-secretly spying on your kids on a daily basis to report their behavior to Santa Claus. If your child is bad or doesn't follow rules, the obvious risk is that their Christmas presents will be sacrificed, and they will instead receive that dreaded lump of coal.
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.
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!
Can I touch my Elf Pets®? Yes! Elf Pets® love to be cuddled and hugged! They also love when their families play with them and include them in fun activities.
The Elf on the Shelf tradition can be started at any age, but most parents recommend waiting until your child is between the ages of 2 and 3. They claim it's the perfect sweet spot for children to appreciate and understand the elves' magic while establishing this family tradition at a young age.
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!
The story in the book, written in rhyme, reveals that the elf doll is an emissary sent by Santa Claus to observe children and report back on their behavior for judgment. The elf cannot be touched or the magic will be broken; it is a silent observer, a CCTV camera with pointy ears.
Steps to Make your Elf on the Shelf Posable
Step 1: Elf on the Shelf comes with his hands connected together, cut the thread that holds them together so the arms can be separated.
"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.
"It's not an overnight shift in thinking," says Laura Lamminen, Ph. D., a pediatric psychologist at Children's Health℠, "and there's no set age where children should know the truth about Santa Claus." Dr. Lamminen says each family and each child within that family will be ready to talk about Santa at different ages.
While kids may no longer look for reindeer on Christmas Eve, your tween might be ready to embrace the spirit of Santa Claus and spread the joy of giving in their own special way. Helping do so guarantees that in your child's heart, Santa will live forever and that he is, in fact, very real.
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.
The elves are capricious little guys and gals, and they arrive for the holiday season according to their whims. So if your neighbor's Elf on the Shelf has arrived and you're still waiting, don't worry! Some make their first appearance on Thanksgiving night, and others wait until December.