A Fresh Batch of New Silly Ideas From Our Elf on the Shelf

16 Dec 2018 ByKate InChristmas

When an elf first arrived on our doorstep 6 years ago, I never imagined we’d still be moving him around all these years later. The simple truth is that both of my boys love their Elf on the Shelf. As a mama, I love seeing them enjoy a little extra holiday magic, so we’re sticking with the tradition for now. Keep reading to see what Pizza, our silly Elf On The Shelf has gotten into this year!

Disclosure: This post contains my own thoughts and opinions. I received promotional products at no charge from Elf On The Shelf to share with my family. Some of those products are included in this post, indicated by ‘*’.

SUPPLIES WE OFTEN USE

Before we hop into everything Pizza has been up to lately, here’s a very brief list of go-to supplies we reach for all the time when our elf is ready to move.

Felt boards and letters. These are super cute, very popular, and available all over the place at reasonable prices. I love them because it means I don’t have to print out notes from our Elf or worry about disguising my handwriting. (Plus, I use them all the time during other seasons too. They’re not ‘elf only’, by any means.)
Glue dots. These are the way we pose Pizza or help him hold props. Double stick tape may also work, but I’ve never really tried it.
Kitchen tongs. Ok, technically, these don’t get used for elf set up. But we end up grabbing these guys at least once a week, after #thelittleone has accidentally touched the elf and #thebigone is panicky about his magic. Our solution is to pick up the elf with the tongs and stick him in the fridge for the day to ‘recharge’ in a ‘North Pole like’ environment.

FRESH + SILLY IDEAS FROM OUR ELF ON THE SHELF

MC Hammer Inspired

#thelittleone accidentally touched Pizza the elf very early in the season this year. The next morning, the boys found him like this. Only my husband and I appreciated the lyrical nod to MC Hammer, but what can I say? We’re kinda old, and we think we’re funny.

elf on the shelf in jar

Totally Tubular*

Sledding is one of our boys favorite winter activities, so they loved seeing that their elf enjoys it too. The inflatable snow tube was easy to set up, and the little extras were the perfect finishing touches!

elf on the shelf sledding elf on the shelf snow tube

Indoor Snowball Fight

I grabbed a pre-made set from Target for this set up (and a few slingshots too!) but a bucket of regular pom-poms or cotton balls would work just as easily. Assembling a pile of smaller ‘snowballs’ for the elf is a cute touch too!

elf on the shelf snowball fight elf on the shelf slingshot elf on the shelf snowballs

Right In The Kisser

Winter weather is tough on my kiddos’ lips, so I picked up some Elf on the Shelf themed lip balm on a Target run. Paired with some Hershey Kisses, it’s a sweet and practical choice for the elf.

elf on the shelf kisses elf on the shelf lip balm elf on the shelf chap stick

Family Movie Night*

Typically, there’s no screen time after dinner at our house, but we made an exception for this elf. Both of my boys LOVED the new The Elf On The Shelf Pets movie, St. Bernard’s Save Christmas. The film is cute, festive, and not too long, so it’s perfect for a special night together as a family!

elf on the shelf pets dvd elf on the shelf pets movie

Progress Reports

I found these cute little gift tags during a Target run- big shock, I know. I decided they would be a perfect little check in for the boys halfway through the holiday season. Our elf really doesn’t address behavior often- he’s more just a little bit of extra Christmas cheer for our family- but a not-too-subtle reminder with some Santa mail never hurts midway through the month! An Elf On The Shelf pen was the perfect extra detail to make the correspondence super official!

elf on the shelf santa mail elf on the shelf report elf on the shelf pen

Must Love dogs*

The night after our family movie night, the boys couldn’t believe their eyes when they found a plush pup, book, and accessories waiting for them. Both boys fell in love with their new dog- they’ve been carrying it around and sleeping with it ever since! Plus, it’s adorable to hear them remind each other that ‘Jeff isn’t very happy with their choice right now’ when one is being naughty. [I don’t know where the name Jeff came from, but that is our St. Bernard’s name!]

elf on the shelf elf pets elf on the shelf st bernard

Let It Rip

All of a sudden, the third grade seems to be OBSESSED with Beyblades. Pizza jumped in on the fun, spinning top obsession with a silly pun and a Beyblade Micro blind bag for each boy.

elf on the shelf beyblades elf on the shelf mini beyblade

Time For Presents?

When the elf was feeling as impatient as my kids about presents, I grabbed a few chocolate cherry candies to sweeten up their wait.

elf on the shelf cherry on top

Gangsta Napper*

This adorable sleeping bag and stuffed bear set from Elf on the Shelf was the perfect way for Pizza to snuggle in for a rest.

elf on the shelf napping elf on the shelf sleeping bag elf on the shelf teddy bear

Yeti Or Not

My kiddos love all things Bigfoot, so I knew I had to find a way to work these adorable Target ornaments into our holiday fun! I think I pulled it off!

elf on the shelf yetis

Building Memories

Both boys (but especially #thebigone) are huge fans of building with bricks like Legos. I found these adorable elf-sized Nanoblock sets that I thought would be perfect for a morning build.

elf on the shelf legos elf on the shelf pizza nanoblocks elf on the shelf lego wreath

What’s Crackin’?

(Get it?! Eggs… cracking… HA!) #thebigone’s been begging for some Hatchimals lately, and I’m not gonna lie… I honestly don’t know what they really are. But I saw these cute little packs on a Target run, and figured it was a good place to start!

elf on the shelf hatchimals elf on the shelf mini hatchimal

Donut Miss This

Our elf Pizza knows that Saturday mornings mean donuts with Nana + Grandpa. He surprised the boys with this little tree one Saturday morning, trimmed with a set of donut ornaments I found on clearance in January. (Can’t beat $2!)

elf on the shelf donuts elf on the shelf donut tree

Vrooooom!

I’ve written before that my kiddos are obsessed with Driven and Tonka Tiny blind bags, so it makes sense that our elf would have similar interests! I found these World’s Smallest Hot Wheels at the hobby shop one day, and knew they’d be perfect for Pizza to have some fun!

elf on the shelf race cars elf on the shelf hot wheels elf on the shelf toy cars

Feeling Nutty

#thebigone has a friend who often has Nutella as part of her lunch, and it looks like a pretty sweet treat to him! When I saw these tiny jars of the chocolate hazelnut spread, I knew that my kids would be thrilled to have Pizza bring one to each of them. They’re the perfect size for an elf to tote around!

elf on the shelf nuts for christmas elf on the shelf nutella elf on the shelf mini nutella

Is That You, Charlie Brown?

Since my kiddos are big fans of the Charlie Brown Christmas special, I took a little punny inspiration from the music… Some inexpensive slime from Target led to a morning of fun sensory play.

elf on the shelf slime

You’ll shoot Your eye Out, Kid!

Nerf guns, laser tag, and more… If it’s a fun way to have a friendly battle, my kids are all over it. I grabbed a set of 2 inexpensive little laser guns from the hobby store, as if they really need any more ammunition in their ongoing battle!

elf on the shelf laser tag

The Future Looks Bright

Another fun tiny find was this World’s Smallest Magic 8 Ball… Since my kids often rely on their full size version for important life decisions, it seems logical for Pizza to do the same with his own little oracle.

elf on the shelf 8 ball magic 8 ball elf on the shelf magic 8 ball

Making Himself at Home

The boys found Pizza lounging at home one morning, in a mansion he’d built for himself from some of our Shape Mags + MagnaTiles. It was a simple set up that the boys loved.

elf on the shelf shape mags

Monster Mash

The boys received favors from a friend’s birthday party tucked in these cute monster bags. Pizza decided to do a little monster dress-up one evening, and #thelittleone thought it was the funniest thing ever!

elf on the shelf monsters