If you're doing Elf on the Shelf...

[lucysmam]

What does your elf get up to?

I'm after ideas

morethan, that's a good idea too. My oldest is seven & seems to have had a dose of teenager lately

Lucysmam

She has just started and hormones are everywhere.
I felt I had to tell her about FC this year as she works with so many older dc I didn't want to leave her open to bullying.
She wasn't too bad, but still is a bit disappointed.
Keeps telling me I killed FC
So this still keeps the magic but she is in control.
I didn't think she'd want to do it and hadn't heard of it before.
The traditional way sounds so lovely for younger dc and I know our older ds would have loved it.

ds has elf on a shelf pyjamas which were bought for him in US. I'd never heard of it before. I didn't realise it was a thing.

I love the idea of the selfies - will definitely do that this year!!

If you run out of ideas / time ... moving the elf from place to place is just as much fun!!

There's a useful guide to the Elf over here.

Last year was our first year and daughter is now 11yrs old says she still believes xx

Ourain aren't the official Elf on a Shelf, they were originally tree ornaments from ASDA. They were identical so I cut the plaits off one and drew lipstick on the other, to make them a girl and boy, and then sewed their initials on to their tops (H=Holly and S=Snowball). This is them!

That was meant to be 'ours aren't'

Ours throws a raucous party with the other toys, cans and empty crisp bags etc left lying around.
Baking, basically just some dough and floury footprints.
Knickers in the tree.
Something easy sometimes too, like leaving the dss a little sweet.

I have been asleep for years, apparently, and know nothing about EotS. Sounds so adorable! I think my kids are too old though... what age do you think it's suitable for? Have bad feeling my 7 nearly 8 DD might be about to rumble the whole malarkey. :(

Not raining on anyone's parade, but where the hell do you all find the time to do this stuff?????

It only takes a couple of mins demented, ours is raiding the sweet stash tonight - tin out, open lid, plonk elf face down in tin (everything's wrapped in there). Kids are quite enjoying it.

This morning he'd tried to pour cereal for brekky but made a (small) mess instead, day before he swapped himself for the star on the tree, Monday he filled the advent calendars.

Might do something a little more time consuming at the weekend - wrapping paper kitchen cupboards or turn front door into a snowman maybe (on the inside).

Loulou, mine is the same age as yours and is very much enjoying the mischief. Might string it out for another year maybe

My 6 year old is loving it the 8 year old was a bit when the elf arrived, but is loving seeing all the mischief it can get up to. I don't think he has twigged it was us, as he arrived on Sunday and the boys took him to church (we aren't doing the no touching rule) and they left him there by mistake. Fortunately DH noticed him and brought him home without them noticing. He turned up next morning next to a bottle of J20 and a half eaten mince pie.
Tonight he is going to eat their advent chocolates and wrap up the wrappers in a sorry note for them to find in the calendar instead.

tut

Coco my kids are looking at me all while I'm giggling away at that!

Our Elf used to be Norty but I couldn't be arsed to keep up with the little bugger so last year and this, he's been the Kindness Elf with little vom-worthy kindness suggestions on paper hearts, tagged to his sleeve with an itty bitty clothes peg. God, I make myself sick sometimes!

To be fair, we did Dinovember with a vengeance this year and after a month of making the dinosaurs do creatively amusing things just before I need to go to bed, I can't be doing with making the ruddy Elf do naughty stuff too. As for putting food colouring down your loo - doesn't it stain the bowl?

Have just remembered that a couple of years back, the Elf was found to be mounting DS1's reindeer ornament on the tree. 'Look mummy, Rudolf is giving him a ride!'. Elves and reindeer. Don't go there.

Here is our Elf. His name changes every year for 'new magic' but apparently he keeps his old one according to DS1 so he's quadruple-barrelled now. I had fun making him four Christmases ago.

Mine are 9, 6 and 3, all are loving the elf on a shelf antics, the younger 2 more so but ds1 is still a believer so is enjoying it! I picked up elf sized jumpr tree decorations today for £1 each at B and Q, our elf got cold tonight and is hanging from the tree wearing one. He has got trapped on a light under a balloon, flown on the bird light in the boy's room and played in the ball pool of baubles.
Plans for the future are pants on the tree, snow angels in flour, wrapping the tree in toilet roll, bringing a gingerbread house to make, art and craft ideas, may do the nose painting as well!