Elf on the Shelf Ideas

I have succumbed to the Elf on the Shelf phenomenon... and I can't wait to get started!! :OD As the story goes, Santa sends a little elf to your house to watch over your kids. Then the elf reports back to the North Pole each night whether they've been naughty or nice! The next morning, the elf is found in a new funny place in the house! Then on Christmas Eve, the elf returns to the North Pole to spend the year with Santa until returning to your house again next time.

Our elf will "arrive" on December 1st. I guess some families' elves start on Thanksgiving but I'm a little behind because I had kind of an issue choosing an elf. After an epic search for the perfect elf that wasn't too big, wasn't too small, wasn't too creepy and wasn't too expensive, I found a super cute elf on Amazon and had her over-nighted. Chrissy Christmas was delivered just in time!

Here is a list of ideas I've compiled for your own Elf on the Shelf! Some ideas I came up with myself and some of them are from Pinterest. I'll depict those with a (P) after them. Check out my Pinterest board called "Believe" for more ideas I've collected by clicking HERE.

1. Hanging garland or a new ornament on your Christmas tree
2. Dangling from the stairs railing with a rope like he's climbing a mountain
3. Peeking at the next activity on your Christmas Countdown Calendar
4. Making a snow angel in flour or sugar on the counter (P)
5. Building a snowman out of marshmallows (P)
6. By the window with new window clings to hang
7. By the cat (pet) dishes with a new toy for your pet
8. On an easel/chalkboard/paper with a hand drawn picture or note for your kids
9. On the couch with tv remote and bowl of popcorn (P)
10. Popping out of a box of facial tissues with tissues scattered around
11. Playing a board game or card game with other toys (P)
12. Inside your child's dresser drawer trying on their clothes
13. Reading books to an audience of stuffed animals (P)
14. Hiding inside your child's backpack with a new pencil
15. In the bathroom with a marker and a special message or picture drawn on the mirror (P)
16. Lining up a row of toy cars (P)
17. On a picture frame having drawn mustaches or silly faces with washable markers on the glass (P)
18. Hiding in a toy box
19. Peeking out from under your child's pillow
20. In front of the mirror trying on hair bows
21. Hanging onto a ceiling fan ready for a ride
22. With candy or cereal scattered around them and your child's name or a message spelled out in the mess (P)
23. Riding inside a toy truck or a ride-on toy
24. Inside the refrigerator all wrapped up in a small blanket to keep warm