Elf on the Shelf ideas 11/14/11
Holiday contest for ideas!
I recently picked up a vintage Elf to start the “Elf on the Shelf” tradition with my kids. I’ve seen a few posts from around the web with tons of cute ideas for how to place him around the house. I think Dave and I will have as much fun cooking up ideas for where to place him as the kids will when they discover his nightly activities each morning.
This is the cute little guy I picked up at my favorite antique mall for $6. Love that he’s teal and green. He fits right in! The felt mistletoe is from West Elm.
My question to you all: Do you do the Elf on the Shelf in your own family? What are some of your favorite ideas for ways to place him? What’s the funniest or most creative idea you’ve heard for the Elf? And just to make it extra fun, I’ll draw a Elf on the Shelf idea at random from the comments section below. You might win a set of vintage Christmas stocking ornaments from my online store, Bluebird Goods. I’ll make the selection on December 1st.
UPDATE: I used Random.org to generate a number between 1 and 12, and it drew #1! So Natalie Seim, you’ve won a set of 3 vintage-style stocking ornaments from BluebirdGoods.com! Please email me at alana@alanawaters.com so I can get your mailing address. Thank you!
please support my advertisers:
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
13 Responses to this article
I have never thought of using my elf as a yearly elf moving around the house. How fun would that be? You could use it to put it by the tv (like it had it on all night), by the computer…who was typing some bizaar message (elfs are mischievous). We did, however, a year ago, return from vacation and have an elf just like this one, placed in our front garden. We have never found out who did it, but cherish our old concrete fellow and his mischievous ways. Thanks for adding another to our inside house…he’s in my craft room right now looking down on that room!
As a child we didn’t have any mischevious elves – they just seemed to enjoy hanging out on the Christmas tree each year – but I found these fun and creative ideas online last year and hope our new grandchild will get into the elf spirit as he gets a little older.
had a party with the Barbies
watched a movie
put away all the clean dishes in the dishwasher
read books all snuggled up on the American Girl doll bed
sent the girls on a scavenger hunt for 12 snowflake ornaments that were hidden all over the house
they each made a fort out of every. single. can. in our pantry and had a snowball (marshmallow) fight
folded all the towels in the dryer (probably to make up for the marshmallow mess!)
“helped” with the Christmas decorating
made snow angels on the kitchen counter with my flour
hid in the freezer (we thought they were probably missing the north pole weather)
went kayaking in the bathtub with the American girl blow up kayak
For years I was a merchandiser for a gift shop…we had 28 theme trees all over 6 feet tall. In the mist of all this Christmas extravaganza…we hid an elf throughout the store. Whoever (not staff) found the Elf brought him up to the register and received a holiday tshirt and a free pie from the bakery.
Sometimes the Elf would be discovered many times during the day and sometimes only once a day. Definitely fun for families who were shopping!!!
I just heard about Elf on a shelf yesterday. How funny that I came across your blog article. My kids are 7- 16 so 2 believe still and what fun the older 2 will have along with my husband and I planning mischievous hiding spots for the elf. Growing up my Mom and Dad had a great collection of felt elves that I loved placing in the Christmas tree and on the shelves in the family room. Sadly the collection was lost in one of their many moves but every time I go to garage sales and antique stores I look for them. I love the teal one you found. Would be perfect in my teal, red and brown color scheme that runs through my downstairs.
Can’t wait to add this tradition to the Holidays this year!
I’ve never heard of Elf on a Shelf but it’s such a cute idea. When I was a child (MANY years ago) we had an Elf just like yours only red. As I was cleaning out my parents home after they passed away, I found it and it’s one of my treasured items.
We always hung it on the tree but I’ll be placing him on a shelf this year. I just have no children left at home to “find” him.
I’d have him peaking out from a cookie jar!
Jane, you could have a lot of fun photographing different scenes each day if you want to get into this sans kids. :) Might be fun for Facebook updates or posting a daily printout next to your desk.
I’m starting the Elf on a Shelf tradition this year with my 3 year old son. I’m so excited!! He’s very into firetrucks/fireman stuff–so I plan to have our Elf driving the fire truck to a lit candle and prentending to put out the fire. Another idea is to make a row of cars and have the Elf driving a police car and writing tickets. I’m going to find some paper airplanes and hang the plane/elf from the ceiling fan. One morning he will be driving a little tractor on the coffee table with rows of uncooked popcorn or beans like he’s plowed rows. One morning he he going to be riding Thomas on the train table. One morning he’s going to be in the fridge inside an empty gatorade bottle with an empty chip bag beside the bottle. I plan on having the Elf encourage positive behavior–obviously. But with a 3 year old boy there’s LOTS of energy in the house–I’m so excited to see his daily reactions!! Happy “Elfing” Everyone!!!
I love the elf ideas. My sister & I each had an elf (wearing red) when we were young. There wasn’t any organized moving through the house, though.
I have several nativity scenes that we use throughout the house. Most of them are set up complete (except for Baby Jesus), but Mary and Joseph from one set “travel” from one part of the house and the wise men from another. Mary and Joseph arrive on Christmas Eve and the wise men on Epiphany.
In the fridge would be funny next to the milk so when the kids go to make their cereal in the morning…or even in the box of rice krispies,In someone’s shoe or boot.In a bread box if you have one.In a bowl in your cuboard so when someone takes it down to set the table there he will be.Soap dish in the shower…
Glad I saw this, my mom had a couple of these elves every Christmas, she recently passed away, and I inherited her Christmas decorations. I wasnt going to decorate this year, but after seeing this post, I want to go thru her decorations and see where the elves are hiding. (She also collected santa claus’, combined with mine, I will have a zillion!! :)
My mom had these elves when I was a child..what a memory jogger! I would love to start an elf tradition with my grandsons. I think hiding him amongst the ornaments and decorations and moving him each visit for them to find will be great fun! I see him driving the remote control christmas train under the tree.
We had a large plush chicken at Eastertime who laid treats for us in her nest. Sometimes, they were the strangest treats, but we loved every one of them.
I have a friend who actually moved her car a couple of houses down the street..her Elf went “joy riding”.