Elf on The Shelf - Day 1

[Sweetchildofmine19]

Hi all! Been a user of mumsnet for years but this is my first ever thread!

I’m looking to find out how people introduce the elf on the shelf to their kids for the first time and what they say about him? My little boy is 3 (also have a 1 year old but don’t think he’ll care much 😂) and I have bought the elf on the shelf to do this year for the first time. However I’ve no idea how to bring him out on the 1st for day 1. Do you just sit him next to the advent calendar for your kid to find as a surprise?

Any tips/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Arrive for when DC get up in the morning, swinging from the letterbox on some red/green twine with a letter to DC left on the mat?

For us the Elf isn’t a “traditional” Elf on a Shelf, I think they are creepy. I used plush ones, sadly the company I bought them from no longer exists. The first elf came in a lovely box on Dec 1st addressed to my DDs 4 & 2 at the time. He had a check list passport and report card, but we didn’t really use these. He got up to a few silly things the first year, Next year another elf joined him, a girl elf. We used a little plush elf from home bargains for #3 but by the time I went to buy an “official” one the company had stopped making them. I did manage to find a girl elf in home bargains a couple of years later.

Ours turn up with the advent calendars. They don’t do “naughty” things but mischievous. I wouldn’t make them do anything I’d tell my DDs off for, but they have fun. Sometimes they bring extra treats, for example we are going to see Elf the musical so they are bringing Elf T-shirts on the day. They may bring Christmas craft things to do or a little extra toy. One year I wrapped them in paper chains, they started them and my DDs had to finish putting them together. For the most part the extras are things I want my DDs to use during December, hair scrunchies, headbands etc…

We now have a bit of a collection, including the dreaded creepy one. I gave in last year as my DD was desperate, he turned up halfway through December. She’s actually bought her own one already, she keeps with her because she’s worried I will get rid of him slight lol but slightly ahh I wouldn’t do that.

A lot get over the Elf’s but DH and I love them and enjoy thinking of ideas for them.

If your going to do this think about how you will manage the tired days and days you can’t find the bloody things. One of my DDs use to hide hers to stop him getting up to things, fingers crossed 🤞 I’ve always eventually managed to find him.

They have come to us for a few years now. Usually half asleep the night before I just place them with their advent calendars ..always excited! 😆

I am all for easy ideas this year, googling and screenshotting so when I am just about to go to bed and realise I have forgotten to do anything there is always an idea ready!

Eye liner and cat face was one I did last year. I'm also going to to a zip line with some string!

Some of our ideas, lots of toys are used. In the past they have:

Had races in the barbie/other cars with Santa & other decs watching from the sidelines.
Done their own nativity in the dolls cradle, 3 santas from around the house as wise men and farm animals observing. Tea towels over elf of dolls heads as shepherds.
Conga line through the house with toys.
First aid tent with Doc McStuffins medical kits and lots of old bandages
Stolen popcorn to watch movies.
Eating Kevin the carrot for dinner,
Crafts, gluing Pom poms and other bits to each other
Lots of trying to escapes and swinging from lights
Found in snack draw with open chocolate coins.

I’m also doing elf on the shelf for the first time! I have a little elf door that I found in Poundland!

Nearly 10 years of the bloody elf here but thankfully the tween now takes on elf duties.

Arrives with the calendars and a note on the 1st. Then we do a mix of treats, moving it and a few cheeky things. Some of the favorites over the years have been...

• Leaving an orange and a small bottle of glitter and a note saying to sprinkle on the glitter for some Christmas magic and then that night replace with a chocolate orange (so that one covers 2 days)
• if you have milk in milk bottles injecting them with different food colourings and hiding the elf in the middle of them in the fridge. Rainbow milk for breakfast
• leaving the elf in the fruit bowl with a black pen after turning a bunch bunch of bananas into minions (you can find some pics online and takes 2 mins)
• decorating the tree with undies
• eating most of the tub of celebrations/quality streets and leaving the elf im the middle of the tub surrounded by wrappers with a bit of chocolate on its face

Always have a few chocolate coins etc for the nights you wake up and realise you have done nothing so you can just move it and leave a chocolate coin and that's always a winner

It is a pain in the arse but it loads of fun. Our eldest loved it and it's lovely now that she has taken over elf duty for her younger sister

Exhausted by coercive elfing in previous years, and inspired by another thread on all things elf, I have decided that part of the reason I was finding the elf so draining was this thing about mischief and "naughtiness'. This year, he's had an epiphany and will turn up as a role model, doing really nice little things, especially for me...

This will be my 9th year.
I’m utterly sick of it 🤣 In fact I dread it coming but the kids would be devastated if the elf didn’t come as they count down the days.
As others have said, keep it simple.
Maybe a couple of more elaborate ones and the rest just simple hiding ones.
even that is extremely difficult after 9 years!
Do Elf on the Shelf they said. It will be fun they said 🤣

He turned up on the kitchen table with a letter and the advent calendars. He now arrives with calendars and an 'I'm back' letter.
He also doesn't do crazy stuff every day. Most of the time he just hides in a new place, then when he does do something 'naughty' or fun, the children enjoy it a lot more!

I held out until DS was 5 - as people say you do it one year and then you’re committed until
adulthood!
This year I bought this - porkypenguin.co.uk/products/the-everyday-elf-idea-pack-2022

My tip are; make a pintrest board of easy things to do as I promise you will wake up at 2am and suddenly remember he hasn't moved quite regularly!
Keep it simple. The ones the kids remember are things like covering the tree in pants and socks or making a mess in the kitchen. You don't need expensive props.
It's much easier if you wire his limbs (florist wire poked down his arms and legs means he is bendy and stays in position)
Give him a proper home when you put him away and put him in it every year! There will be hundreds of parents scrambling around the attic tonight shouting "Where is the bastard elf?" (I know this form experience, I had to prime a new one a couple of years ago so now have 2.)
I do a mix of silly things and activities, he might bring some decorations to make, a sticker book, new Christmas book, hide chocolate or candy canes for the tree.
Mine brings breakfast on the first day (stuff I wouldn't normally allow like choc cereal and poptarts) and leaves a Christmas eve box when he leaves with pjs, hot choc, a book.
I curse him every year and swear never to do him again but I do enjoy it and the kids love the fun of it.

Thank you so much for all your replies! Love all these different ideas.

I think, based on all your responses, I’m going to definitely keep it fairly simple this year and also maybe do a couple cheeky things but mostly going to stick to things like the elf bringing a little treat (stuff we would do anyway, like he could bring the baking supplies one day to make Christmas treats) and the elf just moving and hiding somewhere for my son to hide.

Definitely decided first day will be him arriving with the advent calendars and the last day will be him leaving their Christmas Eve boxes. So that’s 2 down, 22 to go! 🤣 But lots of ideas on here to help me and I know there’s tons of stuff online too.

Our elf brings the advent calendar with a note saying 'I'm back!' For the first day. He then does things like decorate the tree in pants, make a train out of shoes, read a story to the teddies who are all tucked up in socks as sleeping bags, brings breakfast occasionally - crumpets with Nutella and sprinkles or cupcakes with icing for an after school treat. He does not do naughty things in our house, and we do not use it as a threat, he doesn't report to Santa he just comes and joins in the fun. One year he wrapped all the cushions on the sofa in wrapping paper and another day zip lined on a candy cane through the living room. Just moving him about and the kids having to spot where he is know is exciting enough when they're little! :-)

These Santa kids reward charts are a good one for the elf on the shelf to bring to keep them off the naughty list!

www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1326417001/

Like other people commenting....

We tend to do the easiest things with the elves.
It's my twins birthday on the second so they will be sitting on balloons/look like they are sitting inside a present.
One night we put them in the car with a seat belt over them to go to school 😆
When it is Christmas jumper day at school they are inside the jumpers with heads popping out.
Smiley face with toothpaste on bathroom mirror with new cheapy brushes.
On a weekend they tend to bring a craft or a gingerbread house to make, so that is something fun when all at home.
If you have any Haribo, take out the foam eggs and put in a pan on hob with them holding spoon,etc.
Flour snow fairies on kitchen work top.
Cotton wool balls, make it look like a snowball fight.
Shoe train from shoe box to Christmas tree, add Barbie's, superheroes to sit in other shoes.
Toilet roll wrapped around Christmas tree.

X

Ours quite likes a date night with Barbie or a spin in her car!

My advice would be DON'T DO IT! It's not too late!!

I just literally sit the elf on a shelf and every few days move it to a different one. I actually hate it now as its bloody creepy. We rely heavily on a naughty/nice barometer thing I bought in the pound shop. They are devastated if it moves slightly to the naughty side and usually start behaving.

Do not. I repeat, do not, start any over the top traditions like that bastard north pole breakfast or the big 'I'm back' elf announcements etc.

In 2014, I did the breakfast thing after too much Pinterest and my kids never forgot. Every single year I forget and have to dash out for a magic breakfast. This year I thought I'd got away with it then ds says how excited he is about it and tells his little brother so they have what was left of lidls pastries and I'll be doing this shit for another 10 years!

@MrsPicklesonSmythe that made me laugh 😂 I’ve just made a big balloon tower with the elf inside… rod for my own back lol

Wish I’d remembered to buy the Christmas tree shaped crumpets from M&S 😆

I do North Pole breakfast closer to the time. But it's just French toast, cut with a Christmas tree cookie cutter thing and sprinkled with icing sugar. Probably worth thinking, with everything you take on, can I do this for ten years? 😂

A letter telling the kids he's having a rest for a couple of days... or three... or four, five....😉 - is always useful....
😁

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