The Elf on the Shelf is everywhere! He monitors children’s behavior by day and then reports back to Santa Clause about the naughty or nice behavior he's seen. Kids wake up to the mischievous elf doing naughty and silly things. Some argue that the elf scares their children into behaving so that they get more presents, instead of promoting genuinely good behavior. Many parents like the tradition of the Elf, but not necessarily it's message. It's fun to see what types of silly situations the Elf on the Shelf will get into every morning but for those who aren't particularly fond of Santa’s snearky little elf, there are alternatives to start a new Christmas tradition with valuable meaning.
The Dwarf in the Drawer: A Mischievous Parody
This book is a hilarious parody of the Elf on the Shelf. The witty Dwarf "lives in your drawer, with your clean underwear, He plays through the day, And at night, watch Colbert!" The dwarf encourages kids to not give in to the chaos of being good just to get gifts. His message is to believe in yourself and spend time with family and friends. Each colorful page illustrates an "evil looking" elf hovering over as the dwarf and kids try to enjoy their Christmas. "Here is a message for kids of all ages: Don't believe in empty things like shelves or their elves. You simply have to believe in yourselves." The book comes with a dwarf plush that you can hide in different places as the same manner as the Elf on the Shelf.
The Donkey in the Living Room E-Book
This ebook allows families to begin a Christmas tradition focused around the Nativity story for the 9 days leading up to Christmas. Each day, children wake up to find a wrapped gift, which contains a figure from the Nativity scene. Since it is an ebook, you would need to find your own nativity set to go along with the story. The story follows each character’s role in the traditional religious story of Christmas. It is currently available as an e-book, but will be released as a hard copy book in 2014.
Kindness Elves
Elf on the Shelf motivates kids to do good things in order to get gifts. Kindness Elves encourages kids to do random acts of kindness to spread Christmas cheer and spirit. You can use any elves or any small doll for this Christmas activity. Every morning, the kids will find the Kindness Elves in different spots encouraging a helpful or kind activity for the day, "let's bake cookies for the neighbors", or "let's donate toys and clothes to those who need it." The emphasis is entirely positive. The kindness elves leave kids encouraging and praiseful notes when they've done something good. I really love this alternative because it is a very valuable tool in helping kids learn and focus on the positive attributes that we try to teach them in everyday life. Kindness elves teach kids to spread the Christmas spirit by promoting love and kindness.
