No Elf on Our Shelf

Tis the season!!!

Decorated trees, caroling, twinkle lights, gingerbread houses, and somewhere...tucked in a corner, the baby Jesus sleeps silently in the manger.

Tis also the season for the Elf on the Shelf.

 

 

And I commend the creativity, the dedication, and the well-meaning intentions of the parents who put effort into this family tradition. You've done amazing work with that doll. I've gotten some laughs seeing his shenanigans. I love you dearly. And I certainly don't want to tell you how to go about your business. That's not my job. But I have a personal conviction. And it's scary to share sometimes because offending people is frowned upon, but here it goes.

 

For me and my house,

the ELF is NOT welcome on our shelf.

 

Here is why:

First, the Elf encourages good behavior, not for the sake of obedience or the betterment of self, but for THINGS. The Elf is watching and waiting to report to Santa the good and bad  deeds done by children. I believe the message this sends is "Be good. Or else." And I have no doubt that for many homes, this tactic works wonders for a month. But what about the rest of the year? What do they gain for good behavior when Christmas is over? Do we want them to be "good" simply to gain material possessions? I, for one, do not. I certainly haven't figured out the perfect remedy to misbehavior, tantrums, and general childhood mischief. My kids are angels one minute and little devils the next (and the next). But I don't want bribery to a prominent tool in my toolkit.

 

Second, Gerrit and I agreed never to intentionally lie to our kids. Which means, fictional characters fall victim to our rule. (We're sorry, Santa.) And since we have a strong belief in Christ, we prefer to keep Christmas and Easter focused on his birth, death, and resurrection. Those things are hard enough to wrap our brains around without adding giant bunnies and magical bearded men. With that, we are teaching them not to correct friends who do believe in Santa or the Elf. That's not their job! But do our kids get presents and candy? Heck yeah! However, they know who it comes from and why we celebrate. We want our kids to trust that what we say is true. We want them to ask questions when they doubt or don't understand. And we want them to know that to the best of our ability, we are not deceiving them, but giving them Truth.

 

Thirdly, and I believe most importantly, the Elf strays as far from the meaning of Christmas as one can get. The Elf tattles when kids do "bad things." The Elf tells Santa to bring gifts to kids who have been good enough.

However, the glorious truth of Christmas is that Jesus came because we are not and can never be good enough. 
He came to live and die for US because we fail everyday. He gives the gift of salvation to naughty kids like us, but certainly not because we earned it. We can't do enough to deserve that kind of love. And that is why we celebrate. He didn't come to tattle or to make us "be good for goodness sake." He came to remind us that we are lost without him, that His death is the only saving grace we have. Isn't that the best Christmas magic you've ever known?! What can compare?

 

So you won't see the Elf on our Shelf.

But I do hope that my heart will prepare Jesus room this season. I hope my kids will remember the Probably-Not-Silent-At-All-But-Still-Holy-Night that He was born. And I hope they know that He came for them, not because they are good, but because HE IS GOOD.