You made sure that the kids were still asleep in their beds. You found your Elf on the Shelf, and prepared to stage her in a cute way before the kiddos got up. After all, moving your Elf is almost like a covert opp, and you have to make sure that you move in silence when doing so. But despite your best Elf-moving efforts, one of your kids suddenly appears in the room —literally red-handed with the red outfit-wearing Elf in your hands. And everyone knows that you’re not allowed to touch the Elf, like, ever. So what do you say when your kid catches you moving the Elf on the Shelf?
Well, there are a couple of ways to go here. You can either come clean and tell her the truth — and potentially ruin Christmas for your kiddo. (Like, if there’s no Elf on the Shelf, she might start asking about Santa, and that’s a whole other conversation you don’t want to have right before the holidays.) Or, you can do what most parents tell their kids to never, ever do: lie. If you’re looking towards the latter as the best option, then these 10 things to say when your kid catches you moving the Elf on the Shelf should help you get out of a sticky situation —and keep the Christmas magic going for your kid.
“Only parents can touch the Elf.”
There’s a little-known bylaw written somewhere that while kids can’t touch their Elf on the Shelf, parents are allowed to. Oh, your kid didn’t know that? Yep, you’ll look it up for her online and read it to her…eventually.
“Your Elf was tired and asked me to move her.”
Flying to and from the North Pole each and every night to talk to Santa Claus sure takes a lot out of an Elf. So can your kid really blame her for being too tired to find a new spot? Nope, she can’t. She should actually thank you for helping your Elf out.
“I wasn’t touching her, I was just looking at her.”
Unless your child saw you swinging your Elf on the Shelf around the room, you can always make her believe that she was mistaken in seeing you touch the Elf. In fact, you were just admiring her rosy cheeks and wondering where she gets her blush from. That’s all.
“He’ll get upset if he thinks that you believed I moved him.”
When your child asks you if you moved the Elf, you can always do a mental switcheroo on him. You can tell him that your Elf is actually upset that he would think that you touched him, since everyone knows that no one is allowed to handle the Elf. While guilting your kid isn’t always the right way to go, it can help your Elf on the Shelf survive for another day without further questioning.
“It’s okay to touch the Elf if you’re wearing magical invisible Elf gloves.”
Touching an Elf with your bare hands is a big no-no. But if you have special invisible gloves that only parents can purchase will you be able to handle the Elf without worrying about her losing her magical powers. When your child asks to see the gloves, you can say, “I’m wearing them right now, but they’re invisible!”
“She needed help getting into this special spot, and only I could help her.”
Your child’s Elf came up with the coolest idea to go pretend fishing in the fish tank, but she needed some assistance climbing up onto the side of the tank. You were just being a helpful person by hoisting her up so that the kids would be so excited when they saw her.
“It’s okay to touch the Elf if it’s (whatever-time-your-child-catches-you) o’clock.”
There’s a very small window of opportunity each and every day to touch the Elf on the Shelf. That’s why you wanted to give her a warm embrace for all the happiness that she brings into your home.
“She asked me to pick a new location for her.”
Finding a new spot to watch over the kids each and every day can be challenging. Your Elf asked you to help her look for a new location, and instead of trying to explain where she should go or what she should be doing, you just picked her up instead so that she could get there faster. That’s all.
“She was whispering something to me.”
Elves speak super softly. So if yours decides to talk to you, you might need to lean in so you can hear what he has to say. In doing so, though, you might accidentally touch her, but it’s okay. You can tell your kid that her Elf on the Shelf has a secret message for her, the excitement of which will probably make her forget that she caught you moving her.
“She needed a hug.”
Your child’s Elf on the Shelf felt sooo badly that she “forgot” to move yesterday and was feeling badly about it. So you felt sorry for her and wanted to give her a hug. She feels much better now and promises to move every single day until Christmas.
At some point, your kid is probably going to catch you moving the Elf on the Shelf. How you handle it is entirely up to you, but if you want the joy that the Elf brings to last a little longer, sometimes a little white lie is necessary. Sure, you might wind up on Santa’s naughty list, but for your kids’ happiness, it just might be worth it.