Musings: My child is terrified of Elf on a Shelf and to be honest I can’t blame him

He won't be coming back into our house this year.

Last year a family member gifted my son an Elf on the Shelf. It was meant with the best of intentions. All of the other small children in the family had one except him. He had told them that I didn't want one in the house and in fairness I didn't. Goosebumps Night of the Living Dummy has more than scarred me for life and Elf on the Shelf seriously creeps me out. Nevertheless he was given one last year and it turned out it was like mother, like son when it came to how welcome said elf was in our house. My son seemed a bit strange about the elf the first day he was put out in our sitting room, but as the week went on and the elf began to move around the house my son became so frightened by him that he couldn't sleep at night. In his own words he wouldn't go to sleep because he was afraid that the elf was going to get him. We ended up getting rid of the elf and honestly I was as relieved as my son. Of course I know that the elf isn't moving around by himself but there's something about his gangly limbs and cold dead eyes that I just don't appreciate when I'm trying to chill and watch Home Alone. It's not like either of us are easily spooked either. I love horror movies and he watches raptors causing mayhem in films like Jurassic Park without a bother, but there's something about Elf on a Shelf that we both found really unsettling. I'm not sure when the elf trend begun in Ireland but one thing is for sure it has been stopped in it's tracks at our house. Honestly I would rather have Krampus decorations up all over the place than let that fella back in the door again. I think we'll just stick to advent calendars and Christmas crackers. Elf on a Shelf can get back in his box.