LOL the woman who posted the FB pic today has a teenager - so I don’t think “believe-ability” has much to do with it after about age 5 or 6!
Skim through Pinterest. Lots of clever and funny ideas there. I never heard about it until 4-5 years ago but plenty of people are into it and there are many ideas on Pinterest, even some that are PG-13.
My mom and roommate have had an elf going back and forth between them for about two years now. They will hide it in each other’s stuff and see how long the other can go without finding it. I’m not entirely sure how it started but it’s just a long running joke at this point.
There are things that as an adult, I find creepy. The idea of an old man coming into my house or a giant bunny (Easter) hopping around are creepy to me now- but they were magical as a kid. I will do elf on a shelf with my kid(s) unless they don’t like it. As of now, the children in my life do like it. My nephew wakes up and goes on an adventure around the house to see where Elf is. And no matter what I think of an Elf, he enjoys it and that’s what matters.
^Let me make myself clear–I don’t and didn 't find the concept of Santa bringing presents creepy–I found and find the idea of being watched to see if you were “good” enough creepy.
I don’t like anything depicted with rosy cheeks, especially snowmen but including Elf on the Shelf.
@toomanykiddos What if that rascal elf colored your milk green or red? Maybe you could catch him red handed.
If we were to participate in this trend, our elf poses would definitely not be mentionable here. But if you google “raunchy elf on a shelf,” you’ll get some idea of what I mean.
My grandkids love Elf on the Shelf and my Ds have had fun with them. I’m sure I would have had one back when my Ds were young, if he’d been around then. 
I don’t know all of the ideas they’ve had but a few that my grandkids have told me when I’ve been over there are: him being posed with dolls; reading a book; in the dog’s crate; in the Christmas ‘village’; roasting mini-marshmallows over a flameless candle; wrapping a Christmas ‘gift’; on the piano; in the dollhouse; and, of course, on the tree.
My girls have never used it as a ‘he’s watching you’ thing, it’s just been a fun thing for them to search for every morning.
Coloring milk is a common “elf prank.” The leprechauns in our house do that. Just saw two good pranks on Pinterest. I liked “being held hostage by little green army men” like Gulliver 's travels. And having the elf with a Scrabble board spelling out "Santa says hi. Bet you could use Bananagrams. @toomanykiddos
Love the scrabble idea @gearmom
@FlyMeToTheMoon “Then what do you do when the kids notice he didn’t move?”
One of my friends told her kids that the elf didn’t move because they (the kids) must have been naughty.
I’m excited for the elf this year. It is the first year that our youngest has openly admitted not believing in Santa (she is 12)…we are going to have SO MUCH fun this year w/ Santa, Elf, etc. The kids will likely be surprised Santa still leaves gifts, stockings etc.
I would have forgotten the elf until the next Christmas. My children would have been the age to enjoy it. I remember them being extremely amused when I made a clear blue plastic piggy key ring dance in the car and play hide and seek. I miss those days!
My kids enjoyed actually finding the elf, so I hid him in various places: the tree, sitting with other decorations, hanging from light fixtures, etc… LOTS of times I forgot to move him, and something like the following conversation would occur:
KID: Daaad, the Elf didn’t move today!
ME: Sure he did.
KID: [with a look of incredulity] He did not! Yesterday he was in the same place.
ME: How do you know he didn’t move?
KID: [now wary] Because I remember where he was.
ME: But what if he just moved his arm or his finger a little bit? Would you remember exactly how he was positioned? Maybe he is trying to trick you into letting your guard down, so that you can call your brother names and he will run off to report you to Santa. Do you really want to take the chance?
KID: [rolling of eyes] Mom! The Elf didn’t move.
@vistajay #33: my office mates and I are all ROTFL. Thanks for an after-lunch pick-me-up.
Saw this on twitter:https://www.simplemost.com/elf-shelf-ideas/
Thanx! Great ideas @veruca. We actually have been doing pretty well with some fun elf antics. Only twice that we woke in the morning and realized we quickly needed to toss him somewhere to make sure he “moved”…