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.
Children are not allowed to touch them.
Elves are very fragile, and if they are touched by human children they lose their magic and ability to communicate with Santa.
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 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.
Unlike Scout Elves, the Elf Pets® duty is to stay with kids and play throughout the season.
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!
Even though your kiddos probably want to embrace your Elf with tons of love before he leaves, he still has to fly back to the North Pole. So, just like the other 23 days, don't touch the Elf. If they touch him, it's possible he won't have enough magic to make it 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!
Elf Traits
An elf typically claims adulthood and an adult name around the age of 100 and can live to be 750 years old. Alignment: Elves love freedom, variety, and self- expression, so they lean strongly toward the gentler aspects of chaos.
"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.
Age: Half-elves mature at the same rate humans do and reach adulthood around the age of 20. They live much longer than humans, however, often exceeding 180 years.
Given that elves can live for centuries, their idea of "adult" is much older than that of humans. But comparing psychological maturity is a whole different ballpark: though a 15-year-old elf would be seen as a little more than an infant to "adult" Elves, so would a 15-year-old human.
Elf on a Shelf Rules
Christmas magic is very fragile and if a scout elf is touched, it may lose that magic and be unable to fly back to the North Pole. A scout elf cannot speak or move while anyone in the house is awake! A scout elf's job is to watch and listen.
There are tons of fun, easy, and festive Elf on the Shelf ideas for two elves to test out this holiday season. They're so cute, you might just consider adding a third.
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.
40 Reasons your Elf on the Shelf didn't move: Someone got out of bed (if Elf hears movement he won't move for risk of being seen) It's too warm in your house compared to the North Pole, he's forgotten what to do! Elf would rather not report bad behavior, he saw what you did yesterday, you have one day to correct it.
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.
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!
If you're willing to wake up early in the morning, freeze your Elf in a cup of water overnight. In the morning, take the new Elf ice cube out of the cup and set it on the freezer rack or door shelf. You have no mess and a fun ice-themed set up for the day!
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 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.
Do I need one Elf per child or one per household? The choice is yours. We have included two Nice List Certificates and two Letters to Santa in each kit, as these items are personal. All the other items can be shared as a family.