Is the Elf on a Shelf a Friend or Foe? Patch Poll

The Detroit Zoo has named its Elf “Zeus,” and it was found hiding in a box of kiwi fruit intended for the zoo’s animals. (Photo via Detroit Zoo Facebook Page)

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A friend who would probably rather remain nameless proudly announced on Facebook the other day that he had driven a nail through the heart of the Elf on the Shelf his wife had introduced to delight the kiddos, cut off its head, doused it with gasoline and then set it on fire in his back yard – and got great satisfaction out of doing it.

OK, that’s sort of extreme and definitely not in the spirit of the season.

He prefaced it with this: “I try very, very hard to never say anything negative about anyone. Now that you know that, I must say that the person who invented Elf on a Shelf is a sick, twisted, mentally disturbed S.O.B.”

And so begin the ubiquitous social media posts as the elf, an emissary from Santa himself, begins showing up in houses across America to keep tabs on who’s naughty and who’s nice.

Which category the elf falls in – naughty, nice or, well, creepy – is still very much a matter of debate. Just follow the #elfonashelf hashtag on Twitter for a sampling of what adult people, particularly parents who have to come up with creative places to hide the elf every day, think of the impish little creature.

Related:

• Ideas for Hiding The Pesky Elf on the Shelf

If you’re new to the Elf on a Shelf game, there are two important rules: Children must never touch the elf – if they do, they disarm Elf of his Christmas magic – and Elf must never move when anyone in the house is awake.

So, your children’s delight means sleepless nights for you and emotional havoc for your kid.

Someone else wondered if the Elf on a Shelf is the new Chucky doll.

And then there’s this:

“It’s December now, just a little PSA to parents: every #elfonashelf pic you post, Santa dies a little inside.”

I’m with my friend (though a trip to a psychologist to reinforce “it’s only a toy, it’s only a toy” might not be a bad thing). I don’t have kids, so there’s little danger the creepy, spying little tattletale will show up in my home.

Tell Us:

• Of course, not everyone is an Elf Hater. Defend or defame the tradition in the comments below and take our poll.