Mom escapes 'Elf on the Shelf' chores with ingenious letter from Santa

Christy Heins announced her Elf on the Shelf's 'retirement' in a letter to her daughters from Santa. (Facebook)

A U.S. mother with more creativity than patience has found a novel way to get out of posing her daughters’ Elf on the Shelf every night, by “passing along” a letter from Santa announcing the elf’s retirement.

Christy Heins, of Warrenville, Il., decided to stop the trendy Christmastime activity after three years because it became more hassle than it was worth, and because her children’s behaviour did not improve under the elf’s watchful eye. Heins explained in a Facebook post that she frequently forgot to move and pose her elf, but she didn’t want to ruin the “magic” by simply throwing him in the toy box.

The Elf on the Shelf is typically deployed as a supposed spy for Santa Claus, observing children’s behaviour from a safe perch where he or she remains motionless throughout the day. Kids are told that the elf “moves” every night to report back to Santa, then freezes in position at dawn. Children are also told the elf will lose its magic if it’s ever touched.

Parents are encouraged to move the toy to locations in the house where children are more likely to misbehave, or to pose the elf as though he were doing mischievous things, such as making a snow angel in a pile of flour.

“I know that some people truly enjoy setting up elaborate scenes with their elf, but for me, cleaning up after three children and a dog is enough,” Heins said on Facebook.

Heins announced the retirement of “George Elf” with a letter she wrote on Santa’s behalf. “I crafted this letter keeping in mind that I wanted to keep the Christmas magic alive, and also keeping in mind that many of my kids’ friends will be talking about their elves still hiding and doing funny things,” she said.

In the letter, “Santa” announced that George Elf has put in three years of good work, and that the little creature wants to shelve his watchman duties in order to become a real toy.

“He has enjoyed you three girls so much over the years that his only wish for Christmas this year was to be a REAL toy in your house,” the letter says. “He wanted you to be able to touch him and play with him just like your other toys. He asked if I could make his wish come true for him this Christmas, and I said YES!”

Heins declared George Elf’s retirement a success in a follow-up post, which shows her daughters celebrating his “transformation” into a real toy.

“They were absolutely THRILLED!” Heins wrote. “He definitely got the royal treatment today, including his very own bed and about 52 bedtime stories.

“The best was Mia’s quote: ‘I just can’t believe I’m actually touching George Elf!’”

Heins shared a link to the graphic template she used for the letter, as well as text version of it, in hopes of granting a few parents’ wishes for a more relaxed Christmas season.

“Absolutely nothing against the tradition for those who love it,” she wrote. “So happy that all of the magic is still intact but Roy and I get a little bit of a breather this year.”