Last Christmas 2019, I wanted to start a new tradition with my kid. Something that she would look forward to every year and would remember forever!
The Elf on the Shelf Christmas Tradition! This definitely isn’t a new tradition by any means, but it is a new tradition that we have adopted for many years to come.
Aeryn loves waking up to the many adventures of her “Elfie” as she calls her. Since I was pretty new to the tradition, there are some things that I learned last year that I will certainly do this year, and that is PLANNING it out! I was honestly moving the Elf and creating different activities every night based on how I felt. One night I felt creative and some late nights, I was completely lazy! This year I got ahead and planned out each day so that I wasn’t scrambling around at midnight or waking up in a panic at night because I forgot to move Elfie.
This year, I purchased the Brown Eyed Girl Elf for Addysn to have, and Aeryn will be reading the book it comes with explaining the tradition to her. Addy is only 3 months old and not old enough to understand and really get into it, but it’s all about creating memories! Aeryn will remember and can tell her all about it.
Even if you don’t have one, it’s never too late (unless it’s Christmas) to get started. Click here to purchase your Elf and start a new tradition in your home. It is fun for everyone at any age! I also love that they have the Elves in different shades and gender.
Disclaimer: I’m a tired mom and the last thing I want to do is have to clean up the Elf mess the next night before I move it. These ideas are simple with not too much clean up. I also like to leave a note for Aeryn to read. She’s reading now and it just makes it fun especially with littles to read what their Elf wrote them. Added some fun learning!
Here are 25 Elf on the Shelf ideas!
- Welcome Elf!
- Quarantined (because it’s so appropriate this year)
- Microwave popcorn disaster
- Rollercoaster Dryer Ride with friends (Tape Elf and friends inside the dryer)
- Elf hunt (elf hid candy canes for kids to find)
- Hide and Seek in the Tree
- North Pole Express Airplane Letter from Santa
- Zip Lining (across the living room or to the Christmas tree)
- Hot tub (grab some marshmallows and friends and put them in the crockpot or sink)
- Elf Angels with flour
- Playing card games with other toys
- sELFie (Sneak a picture with Elf & print it for them to see. A Polaroid picture would be good for this)
- Last day of school for the year! (Fake snow on the mirror)
- Missing home- (Elf in refrigerator)
- Elf at the “beach”
- Elf in a jar (so they can take it with them all day)
- Snowball (or Marshmallow) fight
- Movies with friends (on couch with other toys)
- Elf gone fishing
- Hanging from the ceiling (countdown til Christmas)
- Reading to friends
- Elf Climb (with Christmas bows on mirror or kitchen cabinets)
- Gift Wrapped Elf (wrap Elf with wrapping paper)
- Sad to say goodbye (tissues with note)
- Merry Christmas and See you next year! (I love the fake snow on the window with elf silhouette)
Here are some photos of last year to get you inspired!
Elfie playing Uno with friends.
Don’t overthink it! You can personalize it however you want. You like funny, then do funny. If you like cute and simple, then do that. Do what works for you and what you’re willing to do. You can also use things your kids love to add a more personal touch. Remember… have fun with it!
