Why we don't have an Elf on the Shelf

Monday, December 7, 2015

My dear children,

the reason why your father and I didn’t do “Elf on the Shelf” is because we don’t like to lie to you. We do not feel that we need to tell you guys a lie for years then reveal the fact that we had been lying. I hope you guys can understand that.

We also do not want to cover up the lie or try to explain it away. Although Elf in the Shelf works for so many families it does not work for us. There is no way I will come up with clever and creative ideas every night from Thanksgiving to Christmas day so that you’ll believe the lie. I’ll be honest with you and tell you that it felt good not to be in suspense nightly, wondering if you guys were going to wake up and catch us moving the Elf.

We put our creative ideas to work in ways that do not involve lying. I can’t accept the idea that we must lie to you guys in order to make your childhood fun. Living in the truth is way less work than lying no matter how “small” a lie may seem.

We also do not want you guys to feel that an Elf is your only motivation to make good choices between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The reality is, the only one who watches you year round, for the rest of your life is God. You will need to give Him an account for your life and I don’t want you to lose sight of that. I can’t make myself put an Elf in the equation and complicate your theology. Your father and I want you know that every day you live on this earth you have the choice to obey or to disobey. We hope that you will remember our gracious God and His plan for your life. We hope that you will choose to be obedient. We also hope that when you don’t choose obedience, you will learn what true forgiveness means. My dear children, an Elf can never teach you these lessons, that’s another reason why we chose not to have one.

When you grow up and have a family of your own, we will respect you if you choose to have an Elf. You guys know what an Elf is and your teacher has one in the classroom. I just wanted you to know exactly why we don’t have one in our home.

As far as I can tell, you guys are having a blast waiting for Christmas. You guys are growing up in grace, wisdom and in the knowledge of God. I’m proud of you and I am eager to see how God continues to work in your lives.

We love you from the bottom of our hearts,

Daddy and Mamãe.