It’s that time of year again. Christmas trees, wreaths, caroling and… Elf on the Shelf. Almost everyone with kids is familiar with the Elf on the Shelf, who comes out before Christmas to report back to Santa if the children of the household are behaving. What started out as a fun, new idea for a holiday tradition quickly took on a life of it’s own. Now you can find websites dedicated to fun ways to display your dear elf, or even sites that publish photos of Elves being naughty!
Is your family hosting an Elf on the Shelf this year? A few of the more hilarious places OUR elf has shown up is inside the freezer, and in a load of clothes fresh out of the dryer! He has also found himself perched precariously on top of the wall-mounted flat screen television, as well as perched on the top rail of the kids’ bunk beds!
These days the trend is towards setting up scenes with props – I have seen a full sized bed made of marshmallows, with the elf asleep, and the elf sitting on the sofa with his “girlfriend” Barbie! What clever ideas have you used for your elf? Imagination is the key, and your kids will delight in finding your elf in new and strange places each morning. One tip for the parents – don’t have your elf show up too early in the season, it gets REALLY tough to be creative about his placement for a whole month! Try 2 weeks or 10 days prior to Christmas for a more manageable visit from your Elf on the Shelf!