The time is nearing for our Elf on the Shelf to return from the North Pole. We love Christmastime and all the magic it brings, especially watching through the eyes of our sweet 3-year-old daughter. Our Elf first came to visit last year, and although it was fun having him around, every night my husband and I had the task of remembering to move him to a new hiding place. This year I decided to get ahead of the game and created a calendar so I know what our Elf will do each night. I went to WinCalendar and grabbed a free printable December 2011 calendar template and typed right in it to keep note of Elf’s daily “activities.”
Our Elf plans to make his reappearance for the Christmas season at our first-ever North Pole Breakfast. What a cute idea from Jessica at Little Pumpkin Grace!! Elf plans to bring a special letter to Haleigh Ann along with yummy breakfast treats like powdered donuts (her favorite!!) and hot chocolate in a cute mug of her own. Mom and Dad will add some fun small Christmas-themed gifts like socks, crafts, hairbows, lip gloss, etc.
Then the nightly Elf fun will begin!! Here are some of the things our Elf on the Shelf might find himself doing this year:
- Sitting on the kitchen table with donuts for breakfast
- Reading a Christmas book
- Watching a Christmas movie while eating popcorn
- Hiding with the hairbows (and wearing a new one)
- Hanging off a candy cane in the Christmas tree
- Having a tea party with stuffed animals
- Swimming in a bowl of marshmallows
- Coloring our milk green
- Bringing reindeer food to put out Christmas Eve
- Making a mess with new handsoap in the bathroom
- Singing at the piano with Christmas sheet music scattered around
- Hanging from a Slinky
- Coloring in a new Christmas coloring book
- Bringing a Christmas craft
- Getting a sugar rush head-first in the candy bowl
- Taking a bath
- Playing Candyland with Barbie dolls
- Writing name on the kitchen table with Cheerios
- Playing with toilet paper in the bathroom
- Scattering undies and bringing a new pair
- Holding on to a helium balloon
- Roasting marshmallows
- Painting a self-portrait at the art easel
- Brushing his teeth
- Scattering “kisses” (Hershey’s kisses)
- Fishing in the fish tank
- Sitting in a stocking with a goodbye letter on Christmas Eve
- 15 Fun Creative Ideas To Hide Your Elf On The Shelf from Complicated Mama
- 101 Elf On The Shelf Ideas from Blossom Bunkhouse
The most important thing is to be sure to use ideas with things YOUR KIDS enjoy. Our Elf will hide with the hairbows and have a tea party because those are things my daughter will enjoy. Boys might enjoy seeing their Elf play with their train table or car track, having a Nerf gun fight, or hiding with their action figures. And although I think it’s a cute idea to have the Elf make a “snow angel” out of flour on the kitchen counter, it’s not something I want to clean up right now.
Oh there are so many more ideas I’d love to use, but I guess I’ll have to save them for next year. I hope you have fun making your own calendar for your family’s Elf on the Shelf this year!!
