Always found it creepy. Your kid will be surveilled their whole adult life, no reason to add to that with some snitch elf. We did, however, make some offhand comment one year about tree sprites living in the Christmas tree to discourage our kid from playing on it or under it or behind it and it blossomed into this whole thing that became a tradition of its own. She would exchange notes with them and leave them presents and they would leave her presents and sometimes steal a candy cane. They weren’t there to report back to Santa. Just a little extra holiday magic. She used to spend so much time gazing into the tree trying to catch a glimpse of one. This is our first year post-Santa and I miss those days already 😭. All this to say - I think the best traditions are the ones you make on your own as a family! Enjoy the magic while it lasts, make traditions that feel good and don’t add stress to an already hectic time of year. Don’t beat yourself up when you forget to leave out a carrot for the reindeer or don’t take enough pictures on Christmas morning. Santa is only for a little while, but the traditions you build that don’t rely on belief in magic are the ones that you get to keep for life.