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.

  • benargee@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    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.

  • interrogumption@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    “Hey google, remind me every night at 9pm to move that god damn elf on the shelf”

    Kids, later: “Dad, why does that google screen in the kitchen say ‘move that god damn elf on the shelf’?”

  • Figran_D@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    “ mom/dad… johnny and Susie at school have an elf on a shelf, how come we don’t ?”

    “ son /daughter… we don’t have one as you guys behave” “ I’m guessing their parents need extra help and eyes on them around the holidays not just us and Santa’s”

    Never had one, always had the question, never had to move that dam thing around.

    But …. You do you and what’s right for your family. Every family sees the magic a different way .

    • BreakfastBeerz@alien.topOPBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      So they clearly are fascinated by it and wish they had an elf too, so you lie to them because you can’t be troubled to move it every night?

      • Figran_D@alien.topBEnglish
        1·
        10 months ago

        Not questioning your commitment to the elf and I think your idea was very clever.

        I was generally commenting on my technique so I didn’t have to double lie to them in the future when the annoying neighborhood teenager that spoils the “ secret” on the bus ride home or at the lunch table.

        We all do parenting different, would I do it again if I had kids that age again … maybe:)

        Have a great Christmas!

  • PineappleOk462@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    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?

  • PuzzlingDad@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    I used to have a similar automation for putting the garbage cans out the night before and bringing them back in the next evening. I was even planning to add sensors to the cans to verify if they had been moved or not.

    Then I switched to a pair of recurring alarms on my phone and found it was easier to deal with. If I decided one day to put them out or bring them in earlier, I just swiped down and dismissed the alarm.

  • zrail@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    “Sorry kids, the elf had to leave. Their home planet needed them.”

    • benthom@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      Now I’m going to have to seek out a story of a kid who took some black tread and gave their elf a new line of stitches each night after their parents went to bed. It has to have happened somewhere.

  • smarthomepursuits@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    I would go one step further. Otherwise, it flashes red whether you or you SO already moved it.

    Scan NFC tag once elf is moved (or smart button press) to toggle an Input boolean. If I put Boolean is ON, then it won’t flash red that night. Then create an automation to reset it to off the next day.

    • JAP42@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      Go a step further and put the NFC in the elf. Scan when you move and an save a location to a database.

    • orangeflos@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      I’m sure there’s some quantity of money which would convince me to buy that thing. I’m also sure it’s very very large.

      Elf on the shelf: hard pass.

    • forceblast@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      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.)

      🤣

    • Majestic_Dildocorn@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      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.

    • cosmicsans@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      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