The Elf On a Shelf: Bringing Holiday Trauma to a Home Near You

Originally posted by Evildead
reply to post by smyleegrl

 

That's pretty funny!

Apparently Bernard has moved on to creep out another family. Show your son this video of Bernard tormenting another kid and assure him the elf won't be back.

Christmas can be very traumatizing to kids:

Merry Christmas!

That poor kid! Just watch, too; the parents will let him sleep in their room, then move the stupid elf in there, and make him think it's following him or something! What's all this "can't touch him" business, too? So....you put this thing in your home, that you paid for, and it's supposed to watch everything the children do, and you can't touch it? These things reporting to Santa, or to Big Brother? That kid is right; too creepy!

I never heard of these till recently, myself, and almost wish I hadn't now!

Wow! Now we have an easy way to condition our children with the all seeing elf! I can't help but think about what all that footage would look like with all the side glances and uneasy stares, especially when the parents aren't in the room. There sounds like a good reason why people keep these little devils in the attic most of the year. This is precisely why sites like ATS get more popular by the day.

If there was one of these things in my house as a kid, me and my little brother would have assassinated the damn thing. He'd have ended up face down in the mudd by the river, probably with a couple of arrows in his back for good measure.

My daughter got one 2 years ago. A cute idea to start a new Christmas tradition, but these newer models do seem somewhat creepy. I could see these elves scaring very young children, especially when the parents move them.

reply to post by LadyGreenEyes


Actually the Elves themselves look cute.
It's the parents who are creepy. Scaring your children like that, bunch of creeps.

reply to post by smyleegrl


I didn't like the whole elf thing. It boggles my mind that adults have to spend so much time and effort inventing and proving such a fantastic fantasy. I'd rather teach my kids about helping out at a shelter or taking interest in the wildlife of the north pole.

I'm not criticizing anyone, but rather offering suggestions of better holiday traditions.

It moved, it's head went inside it's body, and it made creepy noises. I traumatized my little sister with that thing. Like I would hide under her bed when she went to sleep and turned the doll on. It would walk out from under the bed. She turned out okay after Jingbah was tossed in a dumster. She got over it after a couple weeks. Chill. Your son will be okay.

I see these things on facebook....I thought the exact same thing when I saw them....creepy. I think it's the facial expression...

I'm sure you're son will be fine in a few weeks...Sorry about your situation...but I did crack up when I read this.

reply to post by smyleegrl


Makes you wonder if it is your beliefs or actually the elf on the shelf. I was just reviewing some of your threads and see you have one titled leprechauns in alabama and another one about vampire skeletons. Hopefully you little one is not exposed to your conspiracy theories. If he is, that may be the problem, not a plastic elf.

reply to post by tide88


Did you read the threads? Leprechauns in Alabama is a hilarious YouTube video I stumbled across, watch it for a good laugh. The vampire skeletons was a report from discovery news about an archeological find. Had to use the title of the article, per T&C.

While I do have an interest in the paranormal, it is not something I talk about to my son, he's six and has a very active imagination.

This thread was meant as a tongue in cheek goof, I never thought it would garner the attention it has.

Originally posted by mwood
reply to post by smyleegrl

 

Something about the concept it just wrong to me. Trying to frighten your kids into being good because they think they are being watched 24/7.

Probably more of a marketing gimmick than a conspiracy, but it does seem convenient that the elf indoctrinates children into accept round-the-clock surveillance in exchange for material "rewards."

Of course, parents have used the Santa story in that same way for years, but this seems to take "making a list" to a whole new level.

Hello OP....so sorry about your bad elf experience...thought I would tell you a quick story about a toy that freaked ME out one night, lol.
My daughters both bought a "Furby" doll with birthday money one year. The Furby is a little furry animal-type doll that requires batteries and makes sounds. At first it is gibberish (way creepy too!)...then in time, it starts saying real words and sentences. In time the kids got sick of them and stashed them in a drawer. I forgot all about them.
Well, one night as everyone is sleeping...I awaken to hear a creepy little voice coming from my daughters' room! Armed with a bottle of hair spray (and trying not to wake anyone else up) I went into their room (very scared by now)...and heard the 'talking' coming from a dresser drawer.
Apparently a Furby had fallen over inside the drawer and that movement had caused him to 'wake up' and talk.
I was VERY relieved because waking up to that had scared the cr*p out of me!
The next day both Furby's had their batteries removed.
Hopefully Christmas will divert your son's attention elsewhere and the elf will be history....good luck!
jacygirl

oh gosh, my mom and aunt got Shelf Elves for their little kids and all they do is get into shenanigans that get posted on facebook. Once we caught Atnas (our elf) having a go with one of my sister's dolls!

OP, I have yet to be confronted with a murderous elf, but Atnas is wise enough to stay far away from me and my Brutal Sniper doll, Christian Bateman.

LOL I got something better that freaks peole out when they come over:

reply to post by smyleegrl


I hate to say it but you definitely had it coming with this elf. I can't say I've ever heard a good doll story. I wish I had advice for you. Are you telling him it isn't real? Good luck to you.

reply to post by smyleegrl


Well, there's always the look on his face when you tell him there is no Santa Claus or elves if it makes you feel any better.

What in the world will he think then? Mom and Dad and the whole world perpetrated a lie on him about Santa? Tried to trick him with a spooky, scary elf thing on top of it? You might want to start saving up for that therapy now.

LoL.

Originally posted by ParaSpy2012
reply to post by LadyGreenEyes

 

Actually the Elves themselves look cute.
It's the parents who are creepy. Scaring your children like that, bunch of creeps.

Elves don't scare children, parents scare children.

Remember the troll toys from the 60s? Those were used by some parents in weird and scary ways as well. How parents can foster fear in children is beyond me. But we see them doing that all the time.

www.youtube.com...

Originally posted by ParaSpy2012
reply to post by LadyGreenEyes

 

Actually the Elves themselves look cute.
It's the parents who are creepy. Scaring your children like that, bunch of creeps.

I hear that! it's always amazed me how often parents don't think of how kids perceive things. I have always tried, with mine, to listen, even to the most "outlandish" claims, because you just never know. Even if something is imaginary, it's all too real to a small child. For example, monsters - the running idea in my house isn't that there aren't any, but that I don't allow them in the house. That is, of course, for the "magical"/"spiritual"/whatever sort. Physical ones, well, those, I tell them, I will simply shoot. They sleep pretty well!

Obviously you weren't around when the Twighlight Zone, "Living Doll" episode aired. Or you would have never have done that elf business. Yup you traumatized him for life... Decades later I will still not forget "Talky Tina". Although now I can laugh about it, as a child, I could never have a doll in my bedroom at night. Darn, she was the Chucky of black and white TV days.

Once we caught my daughter peering from behind a wall in my hallway for a few minutes while we were watching Chucky. She was supposed to be sleeping soundly... And wow did that give her nightmares for quite some time.

Here are just a few highlights from "LIving Doll", which I would suggest playing while the kids are in bed.

reply to post by elouina


They sort of remind me of a painted up version of that nasty little doll/statue thing in that old "Trilogy of Terror" movie. Stupid movie gave me nightmares for weeks, of the icky little bugger running around the house at night. So, people buy an elf doll, that is SUPPOSED to move around at night? Even if we did the whole Santa thing (which the kids think is silly), that doll would not be in my house!

You know.....the whole idea of it supposedly watching what everyone does at night is too weird, too. If, say, someone wanted to spy on families.....what better way than a doll that is a "must have" sort of thing, that people intentionally place all over their homes?