Reasons Why Our Elf Forgot to Move
This was first published in 2017, but we still use these ideas today because it’s that time of year again! Time to reshare our Elf’s Reasons for forgetting to move… again! Yes, even though the Elf on the Shelf’s Ideas make the kids laugh, he often forgets to move and stays put for two days in a row. So… every year, I share this post with the reasons why our Elf didn’t move.
I hope that your Elf is less forgetful than ours. 🙂
“MOM! Gilbert (our elf) forgot to move… again! He is STILL on the wreath on the door! Mom? Mom?”
To which I now have a good response… 25, in fact. If you don’t have an elf, scroll to the bottom and you can find my affiliate link to Amazon to find an Elf on the Shelf & more.
When the kids wake us up to tell us that our elf forgot to move – we need to be quick on our feet to think of a reason why. Our Elf on the Shelf has great ideas, but sometimes he just sticks with the same one for two days in a row. On his good days, he does fun things and even changes outfits, but other days… he simply forgets to move.
Here are 25 reasons why our Elf didn’t move:
1- My friend, Holly, uses the excuse that her Elf was stuck, so they use Kitchen Tongs to move him from his spot, to pry him loose.
2- He heard someone getting out of bed right when he was about to move. He was afraid that he would be caught, so he had to stay put! (You have to stay in bed so that he can move!)
3- (If your child had misbehaved) – He saw you crying about ___ yesterday and he decided not to tell Santa, this time, because in this house, we give second chances.
4- He fell asleep waiting for you to go to sleep…
5- I thought that I heard some snoring coming from downstairs. He must have fallen asleep early last night.
6- I think that I heard the TV last night- I bet he was watching a show and by the time it was over, he heard us waking up and couldn’t move.
7- You woke up too early. This is why I ask you to stay in bed until 7:00 because he doesn’t get home from the North Pole until just before 7.
8- You’re right, he didn’t move, but I see crumbs on the counter, so I bet that he had a snack and then went back to his spot and forgot that he had already been there!
9- Maybe he thought that if he stayed there today, he would be able to hide better since you wouldn’t look there again!
10- Oh no! It looks like his leg/arm/tag is stuck. Let me pry him loose with a spoon.
11- I think that he stayed there because he could see everything really well.
12- “Elf, I’m sorry that we didn’t sleep well last night and you couldn’t move. Maybe you can move while the kids are at school/lessons today.”
13- I think that sometimes he likes to move in the day because he has a hard time seeing at night.
14- I definitely heard some talking last night, I think that his Elf friend came here, because it sounded like two elves… I bet they were talking so much that he forgot to move.
15- One year, our Elf made the kids little green pancakes. When he forgot to move, we decided that it was because he just loved the pancakes too much to move.
16- Oh man! I think that it was my fault. I had to come downstairs to get a drink and I saw magic dust in the air. I bet that he was moving until I came down. Sorry, guys.
17- You know what? That glue of Daddy’s was taken out of the garage. I bet he was playing with it and got stuck. I’ll pry him loose with a spatula. (be sure to tell your Elf not to do that again).
18- (if you have a dog) – The dog kept staying by him and wouldn’t leave, so he couldn’t move.
19- He was sick last night – it looks like he might have a fever. Can you get a thermometer for me? I’ll check.
20- Looks like he may have hurt his leg. Let me see if I can take a look at it for you (get out the Dr. kit and give him a once over, without touching him.
WHEN YOU ARE BUYING YOURSELF SOME TIME SO YOUR ELF CAN MOVE:
21- “Hey, honey, can you run back to your room and grab a sweatshirt in case it’s cold inside today?” Or “Can you run upstairs and see if I left my phone/keys/money in there?” (This will buy you two minutes)
22- We need to all go look together as a family. Let me run downstairs first to make sure that the blinds are open, first, so we can see him really well. (Buys you 1-2 minutes).
23- Oh wait- you have to go brush your teeth (or make your bed or get dressed) before you can check on the elf.
24- Before you look for the elf, can you hurry and make him a card? I feel like we never make him anything and he always does fun things for us.
25- Oh man!! What was that noise? I think he is still moving. Stay here while I run and check. Don’t come down until I tell you that its clear because if you see him, he loses his magic!
#26 BONUS: This one came from a reader & I love it:
Since Elves are used to living in the cold North Pole and our house is so warm, the elf magic disappears when they get warm. In order to recharge the magic, the elf needs to be cold so I use an oven mitt to place him in the freezer for a while.
ps… YOU ARE WELCOME TO PRINT THESE EXCUSES, TOO!
If your kids are anything like our kids (below), they are counting on the Elf moving every day, so keep these little excuses handy. 😉
Where to get an Elf on the Shelf:
If you don’t have an Elf or you have never tried it, you can get an Elf on the Shelf here or you can get a big plush elf (I’ve never seen this until today!
More Christmas Posts you might like:
Stocking Stuffers for Kids
Do you want ELF on the SHELF ideas?
