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.
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!
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.
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.
They need extra time to complete their important Christmas duty. If your family was away during the holidays, your elf might stay a while longer to continue scouting good behavior to report to Santa.
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!
One popular way to bid farewell is to have your elf leave a special, personal message for your kid, whether it's a typewritten note or a message spelled out in candy or plastic letters on the fridge or on snow-painted window or mirror.
Sprinkle some cinnamon near the Elf. Cinnamon is like Elf vitamins and will help your elf get back to the North Pole and make a full recovery! The Elf will return tomorrow all recovered. Sing your Elf a Christmas carol with all of the family.
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!
Each morning, the elf chooses a new vantage point from which to keep an eye on the kids. 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.
Elf on the Shelf rules
Children shouldn't touch the Scout Elves or they'll lose their Christmas magic. Scout Elves listen well, but they never speak to humans. Scout Elves are always nice, often clever and humorous, but never cruel or naughty.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
On Christmas day, have a letter from your elf explaining that this is the last year they will spend with your family because, now that your child is X years old, it's time for the elf to work at the North Pole full time. Allison Andrews used this technique when it was time for her family's elf, Jupiter, to move on.
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.
All Scout Elves are different, so the date they come back can vary -some return at the end of November and others may wait until the second week of December. So don't worry if they haven't arrived exactly when you expected them to!
We explain he'll report back to Santa every night regarding their behavior. Sure, the Elf returns to a new spot each morning, often doing funny, silly things. But for many families, he's partially there to warn children that a lack of good behavior leads to a lack of presents.
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.