A dreaded Elf on the Shelf thread

[MarmaladeTeepee]

Look away now if you hate the Elf!

We do have an elf but he originally came with a note saying he's a good elf and only there to observe, so moves around but that's it. Honestly, I could never be bothered with the time and effort it requires to make a mess which I then have to tidy up.

However, with this year being as awful as it, I thought I'd relent and have a naughty elf visit for a week. I know the DC will be thrilled and I figure I can keep it up for a week (although no longer!). I've purchased a new elf that looks different to the other one and thought, I might have both out at the same time or I might have the good one turn up when the bad one leaves after a week, I'm yet to decide. (The joys of lockdown and all this extra time on my hands ).

So what are the best naughty things your elf has done? I don't mind a bit of prep (hence this early thread) and I'm happy to do the bigger things seeing as I'll only have to do it for 7 days.

Tbh I am against the elf, and I’m soooo tempted to do it for Dd this year. But I know I’ll have to do it every bloody year if I do!

I’d keep them simple if you can, because by the end of the month you’ll end up having to do more and more outlandish things!

There’s a Facebook group called Elf on the Shelf Ideas and it’s great! Means you don’t have to think any up

Teddy I thought the same hence why we've only had a good elf up to now who doesn't do anything except move around the house. But I figure I can do a week of naughtiness and then have the naughty elf bugger off leaving us with the nice, boring one . I'll check out that facebook page thank you.

DDs loved it when the elf hung their underwear on the Christmas tree.

I don’t really get it- if the elf is from Santa why is he naughty? Conceptual issues aside- here are some of the “naughty” things that I’ve seen go down well.

Pants strewn across the tree as decor.
Putting makeup on sleeping child
Spelling words with smarties on the floor
Flour all over the kitchen as snow
Wrapping up the sofa or other item of furniture. Could wrap a doorway...
Pinterest will have literally hundreds of ideas.

Plus I figure it's our last year of the elf as my youngest will be in year 5 next year and working in a primary school, I know how cynical they become once they get to upper ks2 so I'm happy to go out with a bang!

They're brilliant ideas thank you. Pinterest - of course! How did I not think of that?? Thank you.

Toliet paper round the tree
Poor some flour and do a elf angel
Get some cake/choc wrappers midnight feast
Hide in a stocking I cant think of any more we done

I think sometimes people who don't do EOTS get the idea the most outlandish things they've seen on fb is what they're supposed to do with it and then write it off. In our house the reality is the kids just love that he visits. He joins in with our Christmas build up. They will start asking shortly if I think he will visit us again, because to them he is part of the countdown to the big day. He doesn't need to be naughty or make a big mess. Our Elf stays all month until Christmas Eve and it's as much effort as you want to put in that evening. Some nights he'll just get trapped under a glass, be sat watching TV with the other toys, or on more adventurous evenings, he might make something out of Lego. My advice is don't overthink it, just have him be a part of what's going on.

Heya some things we've done with 'elfie' snow angel with flour. Eaten all the chocs out of daddys advent calander, trapped in the tv, leaving messages written in cereal, elf poop(choc drops) in toilet or glitter wee, trapped in a glass, roasting marshmellows on pencil over candle, playing the playstation, wrapping Xmas tree with toilet roll.we also do things like the elf leaving them treats or craft things one year had him ask them to donate some old toys. Weve had him for about four years now so ive done quite a few different things. Starting to run out of ideas! Be warned if u do it once they will expect it every bloody year! Have fun :) x

Drawing faces on bananas
Trapped under a glass with a help me sign
Take a sELFie with child asleep with elf and print it
Dress bedroom door up as a snowman (see Pinterest)

Has anyone found an elf with wired arms and legs??

Ours arrives with the 1st December box - Advents etc.
So that's the first day sorted.
He always leaves a chocolate coin / chocolate figure for them on the days they've been good. He's been known to disappear to the North Pole & come back with a 'You've not been so good' type note

Usually leaves things like Christmas puzzles, books, baking kits. Notes with activity for that day/weekend - might not be so easily this year!

He's also taken marshmallow baths, got stuck in the TV, decorated the tree with pants. Tied up their other toys etc. Had them plant Jelly Beans in a magic pot which turn to candy canes over night. He likes to hide as well.

Stick him head first in the biscuit tin with his legs poking out the top

Tip out a box of Lego and sit him next to it

Leave him out surrounded by empty sweet wrappers

Salt spilled out on the kitchen counter tops

Cheap shower gel all over the bath

Not naughty, but I set ours up playing uno with the Barbie dolls, my dc really liked this one.

I've seen some elves are going to be quarantining when they arrive for 14 days!

Our elf in previous years has put googly eyes on fruit, decorated the Christmas tree with socks, dressed in DDs dolls clothing, made a snow angel in flour/icing sugar, took selfies with the iPad, photocopied itself using the printer, and made rude words on the Scrabble board. 😃

Love these idea!!

We bought the official elf which came with a book and dvd. It doesn't mention the elf doing anything mischievous at all in the book so ours just moves to a different place and hides a small gift every day.

@Twilightstarbright I haven't but its meant to be really simple to put some metal coat hanger in them so they become bendable.

Our elf isn't naughty as such, he does some cheeky things, sometimes he just moves and sometimes some nice things.

Some of our ideas: the first day he brings a note and the advent calendars, he has tied iron man and captain America together like hostages, put out some flour on the worktop, sat him on the rolling pin, left mixing bowl and wooden spoon out and left some gingerbread men on a baking tray so it looked like he had baked them, snow angels in ready brek, cling filmed their school shoes together, left empty choc coins by him and dabbed some melted choc on his cheeks, hid 12 candy canes in the house with a note asking them to find all 12...
There are some simple things you can do without too much fuss. The nights where he has just moved are usually the nights I've forgotten to do anything.
My boys are already asking me if I think he will show up this year.

I saw a genius idea on FB for elves this year. The North Pole isn't on the travel corridor list so they have to quarantine in a pasta jar for 14 days.

Just bought an elf in the local toy shop for £15, currently £20 on Amazon so I'm happy. I'll try the wire trick!

We have a nice elf and the children were simply delighted he was here. He observed the children's behaviour to keep them on track rather than made a mess of the house. There are, however, some great ideas on this thread which I'll be copying.

Elfs can’t come this year - Covid innit?

Ours has been a mischievous rather than full on naughty elf. Nothing that means i have to spend an age clearing up.
Draw on bananas
Line of shoes with a cuddly toy in each (shoe-shoe train)
Sledging down the banister on a sledge made of candy canes
Brought hot chocolate and popcorn for a Christmas movie night
Found dangling from some tinsel by the attic hatch - this was elf telling us it was time to put the decs up

There are a million ideas on pinterest. We usually try and plan out the 24 days worth, making sure there are a few really easy set up ideas for those nights we almost forget.

Our elf is quite experienced and has sent a note a couple of times on dec 1st to advise he'll be a week or so late due to needing to train up the newer elves for other children etc (23 nights is too long for me!)
He doesnt do anything messy, but does occassional mischeif such as drawing additional facial features on a family photo or moustaches on all DCs christmas cards. (DC old enough to know not to copy) .
Other easy ones are gymnastics from the curtain rail, scrabble with toys, driving round in r/c or barbie car, elfie selfie on phone, self portrait in my notebook, reading a favourite book, doing a crossword with completely wrong words, circling elf films in radio times etc