Every year when December comes around, parents in the UK – and around the world – become servants to the mini but mighty Elf On The Shelf.
Each day, already overloaded mums and dads have to remember to place this little toy in a new ingenious hiding place – ready for excited children to find.
This year however, some have caved early and have made the extremely sound decision to place the mischievous elf in quarantine for a prolonged period – a valuable lesson on following rules and restrictions if ever we saw one.
The idea has proven to be a hit among parents who can now spend two weeks off Elf On The Shelf duty, while the toy sits festering in a glass jar. Some parents have even got creative, crafting tiny face masks and Covid-19 testing kits for the toys.
Katy Burrows, whose toy is isolating for 14 days after “travelling from the North Pole”, admitted the Elf on the Shelf tradition was the “worst” she’d ever started – “and not even the magical look of delight on my five-year-old’s face changes that.”
Others are already enjoying the peace and quiet that a quarantined elf brings – as well as the bonus of not having to feel like a bad parent after forgetting to move it one morning.
Some parents have opted for a full two-week quarantine, while others have stuck with the UK rule of a 10-day (s)elf-isolation (sorry, not sorry) period.
Meanwhile one mum has completely shot herself in the foot with a five-day quarantine period for old elfie – oh, Amanda.
Whatever length your Elf is in quarantine for, remember: you deserve the break.