Explain to your kids that there’s a group of elves that make toys and another group that goes to meet families. Your elf has been called to join the toy-making elves to prepare for a busy Christmas season. Santa can’t deliver Christmas magic if there’s toys still to be made.

Maybe your elf had a baby this season, or perhaps they are currently expecting and plan on taking an extended maternity leave so they won’t be traveling to-and-fro next season. If your children are on the cusp of understanding the reality of Elf on the Shelf and Santa, this is one excuse you can use to end this season a high note and prep them for their elf’s non-return next holiday season. (And then you get to go ahead and donate or pass the elf on to another family and not worry about hiding it for another 11 months.

Outfit your elf with a tiny guitar and some cool shades and tell your little one they joined a rock band and are heading out on tour. If you want to get really creative, stage a performance before you say goodbye.

In order to fly back and forth from your house to the North Pole, elves need pixie dust. Tell your kids that there’s been a pixie dust shortage and your elf only has enough to get back home to the North Pole. Santa needs the rest of the pixie dust to travel around the world safely, so your elf must return quickly.

I like to keep my thermostat at a perfect 72 degrees — not too hot, not too cold. But for Elfie, whose normal temperature is below zero, 72 degrees might not be so perfect. Have your elf write a letter saying they’re too warm and are starting to miss home. Your kids will definitely understand the feeling of missing the people and places they love.

Your little elf has been flying back to the North Pole (almost) every night, and he just happened to fall in love with another elf while they were there. They're planning a wedding and will be starting a family of their own, so this will be the last year your Elf on the Shelf will be visiting your home.

Your kids might think that their Elf on the Shelf has the best job in the world, but actually the most prestigious Elf role is working in Santa's office.

Tell your kiddo that your elf got a big-time promotion and will be staying at the North Pole from here on out to work on the administrative side of things!

Explain to your child that your special Elf has been summoned by Santa to jump on The Polar Express, and get back to the North Pole stat.

If you have a train set, put Elf on board, and chugga chugga choo choo, off he goes.

All that flying to the North Pole is hard work. No Elf can keep up that pace forever. Tell your kiddos that your Elf has reached the age of retirement and this will be his last year of service.

If you have a dog that loves to eat everything, it might just be time to stage an Elf on the Shelf meal, in which Santa’s little helper is the main course. Leave just a little bit of red felt on the ground and say that the dog, well, ate Elfie.

Sure, this might be a little traumatic, but it is believable.

This is the perfect excuse to use if your elf has been a little too mischievous this year. Tell your kiddo that your Elf on the Shelf has been suspended indefinitely for being a little too wily.

Explain to your kiddo that there are only a finite amount of elves in the world and that when a new baby is born, the elves need to move on to a new home. At the end of the holiday season, have your kid write a letter to the new kid introducing their elf, how they got their name, etc.

Not all elves love flying to the North Pole every night. (It's freezing there, after all.) Tell your kiddo that your little elf prefers warmer climates and has decided to move to the tropics.

Sell in the idea by sending them a tropical "postcard" from Elf.

You've probably seen the Elf on the Shelf ideas that have the other toys ganging up on elf. Take this idea a step further and claim that the other toys banned their elf from your home because he was getting all the attention. You can leave a clever note from the "toys" explaining their actions.

Ask your kid where the elf is this year. Because kid-logic is amazing, you’re bound to get some creative replies. Agree with whatever they come up with, whether the elf has gone to live at the zoo or decided to become an astronaut. It takes all the pressure off of you to come up with an explanation, at any rate.

Have your elf pen a final farewell letter to your kid, saying that they’ve aged out of the elfing phase. Already reaching for ideas? There’s an Elf on the Shelf Break-Up Letter from Sunshine & Hurricanes that’s very sweet, and you can use it as a template.

Maybe there was a severe reindeer pile-up at the North Pole, and your Elf just hasn’t been able to move. Who knows how long he’ll be stuck in traffic? Maybe until your kid becomes a teenager.

Usually elves travel by more magical means, but for a more official goodbye, pack up your elf in a box, write “To the North Pole” on it, and slap every stamp you can find on there. You don’t actually have to send it anywhere, just make it seem like he’s going on a trip to a very cold and faraway place.

Your kid has probably adjusted to wearing a mask and getting multiple vaccinations by now, so they’ll most likely be very understanding when your elf — Dr. Elf, that is — has to fly home to the North Pole immediately to take care of Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Prepare a “get-well-soon” basket for Santa to send home with Dr. Elf, full of Christmas cookies, some warm blankets, and the medicine that always helps your kids feel better. If they ask when Dr. Elf will be coming back, say that they needed someone to fill the role of head surgeon at the North Pole Hospital and your elf humbly volunteered. He has a full-time job now.

Everyone knows the rule: don’t touch the elf! So what if you, a grandparent, or even a pet accidentally touched the elf while the kids were sleeping? According to elf laws, your elf would disappear instantly, flying back to the North Pole while they await reassignment. Now, your kid might be mad at you for a few days, so maybe have the elf send a letter from the North Pole assuring the family that he’s safe.

Okay, this one might be the hardest strategy of all, but it's one that you can feel good about in the end. Explain to your child that you've been the one moving elf all along. If you explain your intentions — that it was all about the magic of the season — your kiddo might just take it better than you think.