A note really helps to round off the Elf's visit to your home for another year. You could write it yourself – it doesn't need to be long. Something simple like: “It's been fun, but I've got to run. Have no fear, I'll be back next year!”
A goodbye letter that lets you feel the love
This cute goodbye letter from Make Life Lovely shows just how much your elf cares for your kid. The simple letter reads, “I love you so much and will miss all of our fun times together”. You can use that opportunity to talk about what your child's favorite elf antics were.
A letter from the Elf will help them reflect on all the joy that they've had together. Every year on Christmas Eve, it's tradition to say goodbye to the Elf on the Shelf. At this time most Elves will say farewell to their families and fly back to the North Pole.
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.
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.
Christmas Eve is debatably the most exciting day of the year, however, that doesn't mean the rules change. 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.
They can be there to welcome you back home. Ideally ask a neighbour to move Elfie to a new position ready for your return. If that's not possible, you could always take a small leaf out of the two-bag approach above and find an excuse to head back indoors at the last minute before leaving to move elf yourself.
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.
Have your elf leave behind a new Christmas book before he jets off to the North Pole, and your kids and you can read it together before bed. Leave a sweet message inside the front cover, and each year your kids will have a new literary treasure to add to their Christmas collection.
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 elf can leave behind a special Santa plate or tray to leave out with cookies, milk and carrots on Christmas Eve. If you don't have a Santa plate the elf can leave out an empty plate with a note reminding the kids to leave out milk and cookies before bed.
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.
Adults need to hide the elf each night, which could end up feeling burdensome, especially year-after-year. Kids can't touch or play with the elf, which may be a challenge for some kids.
According to elf legend, the elf moves each night. Some mornings, though, kids might find themselves asking why the elf is still in its same place. Here are a few possible reasons that Santa's helper may not have found a new position in your home.
"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.
“Elf on the Shelf” undermines a child's natural motivation to try hard and do her best. For example, if a child cleans up her room in the hope of getting more presents at Christmas, she'll be less likely to clean up her room at other times of the year, because there's no incentive.
Those who disliked the elf voiced concerns about their child being judged and under pressure each day. Many others believed the elf didn't portray the true meaning of Christmas. Another parent mentioned she didn't want to teach her children to behave just because they were being watched.