Elf on the Shelf Ideas Just in Time for Christmas
With Christmas right around the corner, many parents may be struggling to come up with good ideas for the Elf on the Shelf. If you aren’t familiar with Elf on the Shelf, it all started with a book of the same name that told the story of elves visiting children for Santa Claus between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve to see which children were being naughty and which were being nice. The idea is that the elf is there to make sure the children of the household are behaving, and each day the children search to find where the elf is hiding.
This has led parents to get very creative with the scenarios in which their children find the elf. With a full four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s usually around this time of year when parents start running out of creative ways for the elf to be found. Here are a few tips that we’ve found.
First, when you receive the Elf on the Shelf, his hands come stitched together. This comes in handy when you want to hang your elf, but you may find it limits what you can do. Just snip the threads that keep the hands attached and stich a small piece of hook to one hand and a small piece of loop to the other. You may even have some luck getting the adhesive backed coins to stick to the hands. This will allow you to keep his hands apart when it’s convenient, and you can still put them together too.
Another tip is to use adhesive backed hook pieces to secure the elf in place. Often times, parents have a great idea, but it can’t be executed properly because the elf won’t stay in place! Using a small piece of hook on the surface you want to stick the elf to will help keep him from falling off.
As you probably know, fully committing to the Elf on the Shelf can be an overwhelming task once you’ve used up your best ideas. We did some digging and found some really good ideas for you. When you’re stumped, think about incorporating your children’s toys or your Christmas decorations. You can even reference some of your children’s favorite movies or TV shows. You can use your surroundings or make chore cards, and when all else fails, just use some candy! Elves love sweets!
This has led parents to get very creative with the scenarios in which their children find the elf. With a full four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s usually around this time of year when parents start running out of creative ways for the elf to be found. Here are a few tips that we’ve found.Separate The Hands on Your Elf on the Shelf
First, when you receive the Elf on the Shelf, his hands come stitched together. This comes in handy when you want to hang your elf, but you may find it limits what you can do. Just snip the threads that keep the hands attached and stich a small piece of hook to one hand and a small piece of loop to the other. You may even have some luck getting the adhesive backed coins to stick to the hands. This will allow you to keep his hands apart when it’s convenient, and you can still put them together too.
Use Hook and Loop to Help
Another tip is to use adhesive backed hook pieces to secure the elf in place. Often times, parents have a great idea, but it can’t be executed properly because the elf won’t stay in place! Using a small piece of hook on the surface you want to stick the elf to will help keep him from falling off.
Some Good Ideas for Crunch Time
As you probably know, fully committing to the Elf on the Shelf can be an overwhelming task once you’ve used up your best ideas. We did some digging and found some really good ideas for you. When you’re stumped, think about incorporating your children’s toys or your Christmas decorations. You can even reference some of your children’s favorite movies or TV shows. You can use your surroundings or make chore cards, and when all else fails, just use some candy! Elves love sweets!
- Updated On : Dec 17, 2015
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Posted By:
Stephen Ira
