Is there an Elf on the Shelf thread yet?

[Meredithspants]

I’m looking for sort of pre-packaged ideas that can be prepped before hand. With a newborn in the mix I can’t manage anything too fancy and thought if I can get prepared ahead of time I might manage. Have two elves already and was going to add a baby one!! Other kids are 6 and 4.

I suggest drinking half a bit of wine the night before, forgetting about it and then running downstairs the next morning before kids and throwing it in a corner.

When our youngest was a baby and we introduced baby elf we did lots of nappy changes, hiding baby in the corner, covering babies eyes while a watching scary cartoon, pushing baby elf in a pram, pretending to feed baby elf.

My friend used to make the whole months worth of elf on the shelf ideas with all resources needed in one kit and sell them on eBay so you could look and see if you can buy anything like that

I was thinking of if I could get some ideas and make sort of my own list and maybe have supplies at the ready. Cant really afford to buy something extra… so ideas always welcome. Loved the baby elf ideas above!

Not whilst BFing a 5/6 week old…

Say the elves have buggered off on holiday for a few weeks. Problem solved.

What I was looking for was a few ideas- 24 needed but I have some already. I wondered if anyone here on the Christmas board wanted to share their simpler ideas so I could plan ahead…

This has popped up in active. Just here for the first superior “oh what is this, I’ve never heard of it. Back in my day” shite 🤣

OP you could put it in the car, seatbelt on. Trapped in an upside down glass etc

ok - I don't have one but easy and cheap

• snow angels with flour
• snowball fight with white pompoms or the snowball chocs you get in packs
• caught making hot chocolates (spriinkle some powder around and have one trapped in the marshmallow jar)
• making snowmen with marshmallows
• abseiling down the stairs on a paperchain
• hiding in the christmas tree
• one of them has tied the others up with tinsel
• one is stuck upside down in a christmas stocking the others are trying to pull him out
• hanging from the ceiling light
• tangled up in wrapping paper and ribbon/tape
• having a bath in the bathroom sink (complete with mini rubber duck)
• hiding in a pack/bowl of chocolates or surrounded by chocolate wrappers and smeared in something brown
• playing a board game/with the kids toys
• outside the catflap looking in /stuck in the hamster cage/fishing in the fishtank
• decorating baubles from hobbycraft/drawing pictures.whatever is a good craft for your kids

THANKYOU @AuntieDen that’s exactly what I was looking for and @NConthe yeah I’m sure it’s not to everyone’s taste but the kids liked it and I have enough mum guilt with the new baby here so I need to feel like I’m doing something fun! But easy. Thank you both.

There’s a few Facebook groups you could join or Google “Elf on the Shelf mumsnet” for past threads

I seriously would not bother, unless you have already got your kids into the habit of expecting it (and even then….they will survive if you don’t do it!) It’s a rod for one’s back IMO! And my DD is 13 so way too old for it now, but I have never ever met any parent in the wild, at school or anywhere else, who actually does EotS. If you don’t do it there really won’t be loads of kids whose parents do it (or mums, rather, never seen a dad having anything to do with it which says quite a lot!)

Thanks but we did do it last year and I wasn’t expecting to add a baby to the brood this year- and sadly the kids are old enough to remember so I don’t want to let them down. Quite a few people we know do it too- but we are going to be low key like the ideas above… just want to feel prepared as much as I can at least.

Snow angel with flour
Climbing wall with those sticky bows you put on presents as hold holds
Rolling downstairs in the inside of a toilet roll
Baking cookies - cookies on a tray in the oven
Bringing hot chocolate sachets/ pyjamas/ Christmas craft / anything you’d buy anyway
Zip line from tree to door handle
Hiding in the advent calendar
making a snowman from satsumas (stack 2, marker pen a face of the top one)
Reading a story to toys

Oh I love these. Thank you!!!

Mine decorated the loo rolls to look like penguins and hid inside - that was a hit!