If you do Elf on the Shelf - Please share your ideas

[One2Three4Five6]

We did this for the first time last year and it was a success, I have a few ideas, but I'm always looking for new ideas.
Some hits last year here were Elf reading DDs book, eating sweets from the sweet tub, tea party with Barbies, hiding in the tree, search for candy canes

Taped to the window....with a spider near by.
Sleeping in the bread . Two slices as a bed.
Sock as a sleeping bag.

buggiest hit in our house was when the elf was zip sliding from the Christmas tree! just used some twine and attached elf with paper clips!

the time the elf decorated the tree with DD's pants was also quite good

and the elf brought her a christmas colouring book and crayons, but started colouring one of the pictures in

Fishing in the bathroom sink with a magnetic rod and fish from pound shop was a big hit in our house as well as chocolate chips in a glass and the elf sitting on top like he done a poo. Another one they liked was a helium balloon with pants attached with parcel ribbon so it looked like a hot air balloon and the elf sitting in the pants!

Hide him in the fridge (and put stick on googly eyes on all the food )

Or he can bungee from the fridge shelf tied with elastic and his hand dipping into something nice

Snow Angels in spilled flour on the kitchen worktop

Spilled Rice Crispies and the Elf looking innocent

Elf Wee - green food colouring in the toilet (just a drop or two)

You do know it is August....

Can’t remember specific ideas but I keep a list of ideas separated into quick and quicker and set a reminder on my phone. I keep the props together in a box (OG doll accessories mainly, Barbie car, eye stickers and doll clothes and a couple of bits printed off internet like a twister game)

If I can’t set it up in less than a minute it’s just not going to happen!

List of ideas is buried in the attic though.

Thank you for the ideas, :) some cracking ones in there.
I'm making a list as last year we just kind of winged it.

You do know it is August.... grin
Yes, I do, which is why I posted in the specific subsection for Christmas so I could discuss with fellow Christmas mad MNetters who plan early...

The most successful one we've done was sitting next to a photo frame with a washable felt tip, having drawn a moustache on the photo (obviously on the glass so the photo isn't ruined).

Other ideas:
In the dolls house having tea with the dolls.
Making snow angels with flour on the kitchen surface.
Reading a book to some other toys.
Asleep in a tissue box.
Sitting in the Christmas tree.
Driving a toy car.

Our elf did this last year

our elf was found beside an empty beer bottle last year - so maybe drinking on the fly is common for them!

I just don’t get the elf being naughty though when he is supposedly sent to watch you and report back to Santa? So why is he bad and what message are the kids getting form it? It’s all too confusing for me. We have a rag doll angel who is the advent angel and she is just hidden around the house with treats or clues for treats eg chocolate coin each or a wee note saying we are going to somewhere nice to see Xmas lights or a Xmas book etc or their Xmas pjs. It’s all nice and positive and happy things... not big gifts- things we use each year like duvet sets or cookie cutters etc. If I’m really keen she has a wee rhyming couplets with each day eg
“Today we’re going to have a treat
And bake some cookies that we can eat”

Not exactly Shakespeare... 😂

Our successful ones:

• DC’s pants on the Christmas tree
• I took the paper labels off some tins and made an elf ‘drum kit’ with them (DD still swears she heard drumming that night 🤣)
• Making tiny Santa hats and sticking them on all the family photos in the living room (did take a while though!)
• Made a web from string and a Spider-Man mask for the elf
• Elf poo (chocolate chips)
• Poorly elf (plasters, Vix, thermometer, blanket)
• Elf box of doughnuts (Cheerios dipped in icing and sprinkles)
• Elf rolled down the stairs in a toilet roll tube leaving the toilet roll up the stairs
• Making Minions out of the bananas with a sharpie
• Painting Daddy’s toenails pink overnight

There is a you tube video which you can play on the tv.. and the elf is stuck in the tv (good one for when you forget!)

I froze an elf in a block of ice and had Elsa stand in front of it like she'd frozen him..

Christmas tree being wrapped in toilet roll

Leave instructions to plant jelly beans one day and candy canes have grown the next.