The temptation is always to believe that the threat of the Law will lead to anything but death, that it can produce in a person the desired works that make one worthy of the blessings. Behave before the elf and get your gifts from the big guy. Instead, we should be reminded that:

“Believers, however, do without coercion, with a willing spirit, insofar as they are born anew, what no threat of the law could ever force from them” (Ep. Formula of Concord, Concerning the Third Use of the Law, 6.).

Sinners don’t need more encouragement; they need to die and be brought to a new life in Christ alone.

So, it is time to kill the elf that sits on the shelf. When the kids wake up searching for him but can’t find him anymore, you can tell him that you knew how much they misbehaved and that you knew that the little rat was going to tell Santa, so you interceded and killed him instead. You killed their accuser because you love them and want them to rejoice in the all blessings of Christmas morning. 

Excerpt from: “It’s time to Kill the Elf on the Shelf” by Paul Koch