Is It Too Late To Start Elf On The Shelf?

It's that time of year again: Everyone and their sister is posting pictures of the cute things their elves are doing. This year, you were going to win the elf battle, but now it's already a few days (OK, maybe weeks) into December and you forgot. Is it too late for Elf on the Shelf, or can you start well into the month, after Scout Welcome Back week?

Let me put this kindly, but bluntly: It's a toy that you're pretending is a Christmas elf from the North Pole that comes alive at night like in the 1987 horror movie Mannequin. Sure, the official "Elf Return Week" is between Thanksgiving and the first couple of days of December, but really, it's not a big deal to start a little late. Also, the elf is supposed to be known for causing trouble and getting into all sorts of shenanigans, right? Who's to say that little Tinsel — or whatever your elf's name is — didn't decide to sightsee on their way to your house? What if they’re just tardy? Sleigh broke down on the way?

There are all sorts of reasons why your elf might get to your house late: Because the stupid box they were in was buried beneath a pile of abandoned fitted sheets you never use, because you're still scraping rotten pumpkins off the porch, because you shoved them in last year's wrapping paper tube and it somehow made its way to the recycling during Easter, whatever.

The quick n’ easy way to start Elf on the Shelf late (or after the official Elf Return Week) is to simply prop Elfie one morning and print out an “official” Elf on the shelf late arrival letter. This one from Etsy can be immediately downloaded and printed for a cool $3.

But if you need another reason to tell the kids (although they'll probably never notice Jingles wasn't right on time), here are my suggestions:

• Their sense of direction is absolutely terrible. They read "Cleveland, Ohio," and ended up in Cleveland, Mississippi. They spent a week learning how to spell Mississippi so that they could Uber to your place.
• Their layover got delayed. You can print a fake boarding ticket and everything. This sells extra well if there’s a blizzard or other historic weather event happening somewhere in the country right now, and you can put on the news to back up your claim.
• They did not finish their homework on time, and had to stay back at the North Pole.
• They were at your house the whole time, unsure they were in the right place because the kids have grown so much in the past year. They're so much taller and know so much more. If it wasn't for the parents, they would have left.
• They had some official Santa business they had to deal with — no need to disclose what the details are.
• Your elf is a top secret spy acting as a double agent for the Tooth Fairy. He got tied up in a, uh, predicament, but has since escaped. I mean...arrived. It’s classified, OK?

No matter how you do it, the kids will love the whole thing, because an elf is still fun no matter when they show up. The experience of Elf on the Shelf is what's important — not when it starts.