If you’re a parent that has mistakenly gone down the Elf On The Shelf path, I’m sure you’ve been in the situation where youve had a glass of six of wine and gone to bed forgetting to move the little bastard. Then to be woken up to the disappointment of your little crotch goblins wondering why the elf didn’t move. I’ve come up with a solution that hasn’t failed me yet.
Now, I know this exact solution won’t apply to everyone, but it should at least get your years grinding on how you can use your smart home to remind you to move it.
I have an Inovelli wall switch that the LED light on it can be used as a notification in my bedroom. In my case, at 9pm every night, it goes to full brightness and flashes red…it’s pretty bright, I can’t miss it. This is my reminder to move the elf. Once I do, I clear the notification and it goes back to normal.
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Ugh. Shit. I forgot that guy existed… Thanks for the reminder. Also thanks for whoever bought it for us… :/
We threw away the elf after the first year like 8 years ago.
My 3yo got smart n started moving it himself 😂
I always found elf on a shelf idea freaks me out. I grew up watching movies like
Cat’s Eye (1985)
The Gate (1987)
Dolls (1987)
Childs Play (1988)
I don’t like the Big Brother is watching vibe. Bad enough you have this Old Guy in the clouds watching our every move and then this guy in the North Pole with his magic snowball and his elf spies.
How about about just being good for goodness sake and giving Mom a break?
Option B:
A farewell letter from the elf. Based on his reports to the big guy, it has been determined that the children are at low risk of being on the naughty list, and further observation is not warranted. He has been reassigned to another post and has enjoyed his time with them.
Then burn it, bury the ashes, and piss on the spot.
We had Yule Nissen when my son was little. It was a tiny pinecone elf. The tradition, which started in Scandinavia I believe, was to hide the elf somewhere in the house with a tiny toy or treat. For 7 mornings before Christmas my son would have to search for Yule Nissen. He loved it. We loved it because the elf could be taken secretly at any time and hidden for the next morning’s search.
Even “smarter” idea is to put an IMU or other motion sensor inside the elf. If it hasn’t detected movement by a certain time, you get a specific notification telling you so.
“Sorry kids, the elf had to leave. Their home planet needed them.”
Man that elf company pulled off an incredible marketing coup.
Cool idea. I’m going to flex that into never buying that damn elf in the first place
When my kids asked why we don’t have an elf on the shelf I told them because Santa trusts me and I can just write him and he’ll know what’s up, Santa doesn’t trust the other kids parents and needs to send the elf
My wife made this mistake for us. (Getting the elves)
I love her but I am now considering divorce.
(Kidding about the divorce part … mostly.)
🤣
Never do it. I hate the damn thing.
We started with “We don’t allow Fae in the house, not after what happened last time” with the tooth fairy. It keeps going with that stupid elf.
Why not just say a phone alarm? Home automation is cool, but simple tasks still work
I started with a phone alarm. But when I’m in the kitchen, or at a friend’s house, or pretty much anywhere, or my kids are still awake, I have to silence the alarm at 9:00, I can’t just let it continue going off until I have a chance to move it. If I silence it, then if it’s 3 hours later I go to bed, I’ll have forgotten about it. A phone alarm simply didn’t work.
So set it for a time that’s after your kids go to bed, but before you typically do?
What the hell good does a flashing red light in your bedroom do if you’re commiserating over a few beers at your friend’s house?
Set 2 or 3 alarms on your phone, if need be.
Fuck, this post is almost as bad as /r/AskElectronics when someone asks how to replace a simple switch on a kid’s flashlight, and a dozen new-grad EE’s come up with Arduino and Raspberry Pi “solutions” to a broken wire on a slide switch.
It stays red…until he resets it… it’s a better solution.
He can be at his buddies place, it turns red, he forgets but when he gets home before bed, it reminds him.
If an alarm goes off when he’s at his buddies he turns it off and forgets.
It’s not that hard to understand the difference. Calm down.
im w/ u 100! and lol @ Pi “solutions”
I’m pretty sure their point is, the light will still be flashing whenever it is they get to bed. Alarms have to be actively managed, that light’s just going to keep flashing harmlessly until it’s dealt with.
I’m going to have to steal this! Cool use case :)
Eric
Founder | Inovelli
I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone have an email signature on a reddit comment before. That’s a first.
Lol yeah I just put it there bc it’s a shared account.
Eric
Esq., MBA, Class of 2007
Lmaoooo this isn’t LinkedIn 🤣🤣
Lol good one RectalBloodbath, hopefully you didn’t tear a hemmi with that joke
I came for fully automated and sentient elf that gets up and moved itself. Not a phone reminder implemented through light switches.
Work in progress. I’ll report back.
Best option is to throw it in the trash and never bring it out again.
I don’t hate my kids. I’m willing to put in a little effort to make them happy.