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Resources / Home & Family 100 Creative Ideas for Your Elf on the Shelf Posted by Emily Mathias Is your Elf on the Shelf hanging out on the same old lampshade, picture frame or kitchen cabinet year after year? Well, it’s time to spruce up the holidays with our family-friendly Elf on the Shelf ideas. Skim through the list to see ideas categorized by “Elfish Personality Type.” Don’t worry — if your elf is new on the scene, we have advice for beginners. Set your Elf on the Shelf where he can’t be missed — you’ll want this to be his home base for arrival each year — and put a note in his hands as a greeting message. Give your kids some incentive to behave during the holidays. Your elf might arrive with an Advent calendar for the season or a small token of festivity, such as candy canes or another favorite holiday treat.
Do some character development around his arrival and where you place him initially. He’s a “stinker” who shows up a few days later than the other elves in the area. He’s a “manager” at the North Pole, so he’s a few days late because of extra responsibilities. He’s an “early bird” and shows up on a turkey figurine, a few days before Thanksgiving. Write “I’m Back!” in candy, mini-marshmallows, popcorn or acorns and place him where he can’t be missed. If he falls off his location, get some tongs out of the kitchen drawer and pick him up.
Don’t touch him with your hands or he loses magic. He’s been going back and forth to the North Pole every night!” SOOO Sleepy. For the next night, reinforce his fatigue by putting him on top of a tissue box. Make sure to pick a spot for his last day with the family that you’ll reuse each year. You could send him back to the North Pole with cookies or a letter to Santa to remind him about good behavior. Plan a perfect winter party with an online sign up!
No wonder he didn’t go back to the North Pole the other night.” Spa Day. Put him in a plastic container or dollhouse-sized bathtub surrounded by mini-marshmallow or cotton balls. Wrap him in toilet paper or tissues, like a towel, and put him near the shower.
Put him on the Christmas tree, next to a big Santa ornament.
Glue three cotton balls together and use a sharpie to make a snowman face, with him next to it. Also works to use large marshmallows, toothpicks and mini-M&M’s for facial features (stuck on with frosting).
On December 23, hang stockings on the mantle and place him inside of it with his head peeking out, holding a candy cane for each child in your house. Buy a festive reindeer figurine for your house and put him on it. Tape five or six Christmas bows in a small area, and then place him nearby.
Tie curly Christmas ribbon around his neck like a scarf. Wrap him around a candy cane and hook it on the Christmas tree. Stuff his head in a candy bag, with his feet hanging out the end.
Put a straw inside of a maple syrup bottle and place him next to it. Place a bunch of crumpled up, miniature chocolate wrappers next to him.
Have him bring back a lollipop from the North Pole, one for each child.
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Mischievous: For elves who tend to make messes overnight. Put him near a toilet filled with green water (from food coloring).
Sprinkle glitter in a bathroom sink and place him nearby. Wrap him in a little scarf and put him in the refrigerator, surrounded by grated cheese.
“Wow, he must have been too hot under the heating vent yesterday!” OCD Elf. Rearrange stuffed animals on your kid’s shelf and put him next to a favorite one.
“Wow, it must have been a rough flight home last night!” What a Mess. Use a Sharpie pen to make funny faces on fruit that’s sitting out.
Use green food dye and make elf footprints on a window or door. Charitable and Thoughtful: For elves who love to give back.
Write a good deed on a piece of paper and put it in his arms. Rest him on top of the family fish tank, hamster cage or food bowl.
When a family member comes to visit, write “Hi So-and-So” in chocolate morsels, and place him nearby. Buy Cheerios, cover them in frosting and place them in a tiny container.
Buy seasonal pencils and place them in his arms on the last day of school before winter break. On Christmas Eve — his last night at your home — put him next to baby Jesus.
In your nativity scene, place him next to a sheep with a toothpick in his hand. Put sprinkles in a pile on the counter and lay him down like he made a snow angel. Add a tiny pair of angel wings to his back one night. Put him in front of a bowl of spaghetti with maple syrup on top.
“Oh, he was being silly last night!” Organize an evening of caroling with an online sign up! If you have toilet paper stacked up on a holder, wedge him down in there with his head poking out. On Christmas Eve, his last night, stash him somewhere when the kids leave the room. Tell the kids to write a letter or draw a picture to a friend’s elf.
He can give it to that elf when he sees him at the North Pole tonight. Write a short message to the family on a small chalkboard or draw a heart with M&M’s.
Write a message in toothpaste on the bathroom sink and put him nearby. Using Q-Tips, create a picture (snowflakes) or a message and place him near it. I bet he will tell Santa how good you’ve been this year.” Vacuum Cleaner: Put him on some type of cleaning tool, and perhaps the kids will get the hint? Launderer: Prop open the laundry machine door and put him inside. Pick the elfish personality that fits best with your family and run with it, or mix it up. Emily Mathias is a freelance writer living in Charlotte, N.C.
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