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.

  • alchemyearth@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Ugh. Shit. I forgot that guy existed… Thanks for the reminder. Also thanks for whoever bought it for us… :/

  • MrSnowden@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    I came for fully automated and sentient elf that gets up and moved itself. Not a phone reminder implemented through light switches.

    • benthom@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      1 year 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.

    • forceblast@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      1 year 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.)

      🤣

    • orangeflos@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      1 year 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.

    • Majestic_Dildocorn@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      1 year 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·
      1 year 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

  • smarthomepursuits@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year 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·
      1 year ago

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

  • PuzzlingDad@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year 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.

    • BreakfastBeerz@alien.topOPBEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      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.

      • TK421isAFK@alien.topBEnglish
        1·
        1 year ago

        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.

        • XavinNydek@alien.topBEnglish
          1·
          1 year ago

          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.

        • FRIENDLY_CANADIAN@alien.topBEnglish
          1·
          1 year ago

          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.

  • interrogumption@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year 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.top
    BEnglish
    1·
    1 year 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·
      1 year 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.top
        BEnglish
        1·
        1 year 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!