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What: Christmas Elves
When: Now through Christmas
Where: At your house
Cost: Varies
Last week we welcomed a Magic Elf into our home. I’ve resisted for the last three years, but the boys finally wore me down. It’s been mayhem ever since.
If you are unfamiliar with the elf crazy let me enlighten you. There are two kinds of elves, the Elf on a Shelf, which just moves around each night and the Magic Elf which comes alive and creates mischief – to the children’s delight and the mother’s horror. Some elves arrive Dec. 1 and others don’t come until a week or two before Christmas.
My resistance to the elves in my home has been that I don’t need more to do, especially during the holidays. To make matters worse, apparently the elves level of mayhem coorelates directly to how much wine you’ve consumed at the holiday party the night before. However, a mother will do anything to see pure joy on her child’s face – hence we have a house full of elves.
The Elf on a Shelf arrived a few years ago through divine intervention from my Godmother. The Magic Elves arrived last week. Snowflake appeared in a goody bag and Kinglsey (the ring leader) through a request sent to Santa. We’ll be chronicling Kingsley and Snowflake’s mischief on the Field Trips with Sue Facebook page. Feel free to leave your own elf stories. So far, our guys have:
- Take a bag of candy (from Halloween) and sat under the tree eating candy and watching the lights
- Invited all the house stuffed animals to a movie night (movies all over the place, popcorn everywhere)
- Made snow angels in flour, and
- TPed our Christmas tree.
What have your elves done?
So the kids won’t forget about the Elves as they get older? So far, I pretend that I don’t know what they are talking about. But they sure learn about from their friends in school. They came home and wanted to put out cookies and milk for the elf.
You are such a good mom. I cringe seeing the flour on the floor and TP on the tree.
My elf will be more like cleaning or hiding all their toys. 
Now that’s an idea Amy! Wish I could have a few elves that clean:)
Sue,
This is so much appreciated!!!!!!! I really didn’t know much about Elves. This article is educational and certainly helpful and mostly appreciated.
Like you said, surely my 6-yr-old came home and talked about “Elf on the shelf” all the time ’cause one of her best friends at school has it at home and she fantasizes about it. She wanted one so bad since last year. I did try to look for one but not quite successful. We live in far west side of town about an hour away from Atlanta. There are not much Christmas decor shops around. I went to check at Hobby Lobby, at the mall, Walmart, and at places they sell Christmas decors …so far no luck(!) This year, my daughter said she wrote and told Santa that she only wants to have an Elf and that’s her “WHOLE” list for her Christmas present. I cannot fill her “list”. Please help!
Any idea where they may still have an elf? Thank you so kindly!
Barnes and Noble Bookstore has Elf on the Shelf/ book and elf combo.
Last year our elf was mischievous, to my chagrin. This year I wrote a letter to Santa requesting our elf behave himself, to my children’s chagrin. This year our elf has been helpful instead. He even decorated our Christmas tree!
Duet, did you check online for an elf?
I have much more fun with the elves than my children. Planning the elves adventures is part of my holiday fun. Our elves do mischievous things and bring little gifts (candy, hair bows, pencils, paper, markers, etc). They also bring things for my wife too… chocolate, lacy things, etc.
Our elves have emptied the tupperware drawer, switched lunches around, emptied clothes drawers, tried on all the coats in the closet, taken a bath in the kitchen sink (all the soap and shampoo got moved to the kitchen); pooped in the toilet (M&M’s) and wrapped themselves.
As our kids have gotten older I thought this would die off, but they love it more now. Great Christmas memories for us all.
Thank you all for the help and your great suggestions. I will check out Barnes & Noble store this weekend. Wish me luck!
Merry Christmas to you all!
I purchased elves for my girls from http://www.elf-magic.com/
They also have a tab called “Elfcapades” where different people have posted things their elves have done.
I found them at Target just the other day….
Andry, Thanks for the tip on the Elcapades – I’m going to check it out for ideas.
Last year was our first year with the elf, we had never heard of it until one of our friends got one. But after getting it we decided it could be fun so his first night he rolled the christmas tree, later he did things like rolled my daughters room with yarn, left crumbs all over the kitchen counters, rolled the entire living room with toilet paper, etc and christmas eve night he hid several of their gifts and left them a note about being good for the year. We have really loved this and are very excited about what might happen this year.
Missy – good for you. My kids want the elves to come now but I need to wait a bit. I run out of ideas – and energy.
My kids LIVE for our elf, Jolly. Here are some ideas we’ve done in the past, but I will definitely check out the fb page fore more ideas. Our oldest has usually been the main target because his younger siblings were too young to get it. That will change this year for sure. Here’s what we’ve done:
Put the kids underwear on the Christmas tree
Painted our son’s fingernails
Used eyeliner to paint big eyebrows on our oldest son’s forehead (tough if they are light sleepers)
Emptied the entertainment center with all the movies and made towers of the DVD covers
Strung Christmas ribbon all through the kitchen cabinet handles to make a real maze of a mess of ribbon.
Early in the morning before our son woke up, we got heavy weights and rope and strapped him in bed (again, he wasn’t like that all night…just for about 30 minutes)
The general plan is Jolly does something to make me crazy, and I threaten to send him back to the north pole, and the kids find the entire thing completely hilarious.
Jolly just arrived tonight, and I think I might write on each kid’s head, “Come” “Find” “Me”
We have had so much fun this year with all of “Jacks” and at grandmas “Pete”. The ideas are fantastic and lead to more. Love it
Heather these are good! I might try the fingernail painting. I shy away from the big messes as I have to clean them all up!