24 Days of Elf on the Shelf

Christmas is quickly approaching, and even though Thanksgiving hasn\’t happened yet, it\’s never too early to start preparing for the festive season. In our household, we have two elves (one for each of us), blending our two families together. We love to come up with clever and funny shenanigans that the elves can get up to, and this year we\’ve put together a list of easy-to-put-together ideas to help anyone who\’s forgotten to set up their elf. Here are 24 of our favorites:

1. \”We\’re back!\”. We like to have our elves arrive with a set of holiday pajamas, ready to get into the Christmas spirit.

2. \”Elves redecorate the Christmas tree\” We use toilet paper to create a web across the tree, but you could also use party streamers.

3. \”Elves blockade the way\”. We use streamers to block our boys\’ doorways and tuck our elves above their doorframes.

4. \”Elves make breakfast\”. This one is quick and easy, we like using Lucky Charms and loading them with mini marshmallows and chocolate M&M\’s.

5. \”Do you want to build a snowman\”. We live in the south, and it is very rare for us to get snow, however, our Elves are clever enough to stack toilet paper and turn themselves into mini snowmen.

1. \”Elves get held hostage\”: My boys love playing cops and robbers, and this activity involves having their Elves get arrested by other toys for causing trouble.
2. \”Elves get ambushed by Lego people\”. We like to use materials we have on hand, and with a little imagination, our Legos and Lego people come to life to put a stop to our Elves\’ mischief.

8. \”Elves read to other toys\”. A quick setup. Some of my boys\’ favorite books as a stand and usually a hard cover book that can stand itself while open.

9. \”Elves donut dasher\”. I try to coordinate my grocery run with this specific one, as I also bring a box or bag of donuts.

10. \”Elves bake cookies\”. For this one, I bake the cookies the night before and intentionally leave a bit of a mess. My boys love waking up to baked cookies and a messy scene created by the elves.

11. \”Elves wrap presents\”. Since we have two elves, one of them wraps the other in Christmas paper and ribbon and places them in the tree.

12. \”Elves go ziplining\”. We create the zip line with some twine and tie the elves to it. However, our cat often gets involved and tries to catch the elves, making it more dramatic in the morning. But silly cats don\’t know the Christmas rules.

13. \”Elves invite us to make snowmen.\” We use powdered donuts, M&M\’s, and candy canes to create our very own (and edible) snowman.

14. \”Elves take a bath.\” We fill a large bowl with mini marshmallows and let the elves take a nice, relaxing bath. All this prank-playing and creativity can be exhausting.

15. \”Elves go online shopping.\” We use either my husband\’s work computer or my own to visit Amazon and load up our cart with silly elf selections and some of the wish list items from our boys\’ letters to Santa.

16. \”Elves drop the boys off to school\”. On the last day of school before Christmas break, my boys woke up to find that hidden themselves somewhere in the house. My boys searched the entire house, feeling a bit disappointed that they couldn\’t find the silly elves. However, when they went outside and loaded the car, they were surprised to find that the elves had already buckled up and were ready to drop them off at school. It was a huge hit and my boys loved it!

17. \”Elves play cards\”. We set up other toys and they all play UNO Cards. My boys always find humorous and amusing how is that they are holding the cards, and even try to figure out who is winning.

18. \”Elves invite us to a camp-in movie night with some snacks\”. I use my fuzzy socks as sleeping bags for the elves and have them set up for a \’camping in\’ movie night, with some popcorn and other delicious treats.

19. \”Elves take a selfie\”. This one requires patience and deep-sleeping kids. We wait until they are in bed asleep and set the elves next to them and snap selfies. The following morning I display those photos on the TV with Apple TV it\’s a breeze! They love seeing the mischievousness of the elves.

20. \”Elves drink coffee\”. We utilize used and empty K-Cups and little stirring straws to make it look like the elves are catching up on their much-needed cup of joe.

21. \”Elves ask for information\” This one we added to our tradition, as this is around the time when our children have to go to the other parent for the holidays. It became our small way to help their siblings understand it is okay for families to go apart for a few days, as they will always come back. We like to use our letter board, which we have had for a few years now.

22. \”Elves go bow climbing\” We used the self-adhesive bows that come in a bag of 40 and stuck them in a staggered pattern onto our kitchen cabinets for the elves to climb. Our little ones were fascinated by \”discovering\” how is that the elves get on to high places.

23. \”Elves Trading Center\” Our elves joined forces with some of our kids\’ favorite toys to trade candy. This also happened a couple of years ago as we were renovating our 1970s kitchen from back then.

24. \”Elves roast marshmallows over a candle\” Or indoor firepit. This year we are planning on using this small indoor firepit from Amazon. It\’s a great way to prepare for the big night when our naughty elves will ride back with Santa to the North Pole. This time also allows us to reflect on all the fun ways our elves have kept us entertained and appreciate the quality time we\’ve spent together as a family. We are thankful for all the good things they\’ve helped us remember.