That’s really what it should boil down to, right? It should be a parent’s choice. There’s nothing wrong with not doing it, which should go without saying.
I’ve noticed that some of the craze is driven by parental peer-pressure. That’s not why we do it. We (my wife and I) think it’s something fun for the kids so we do it. Truth be told we put pretty much no effort into it compared to what others do. We just pick a new place for it to sit every day, and that’s the beginning and end of it for us. Neither of us have the time, energy, or desire to concoct the elaborate scenarios that some do for this.
Most of my attitude about the shelf elf has to do with our daughter’s best friend’s mom complaining to us about being tasked with daily elf nonsense.