The Elf on the Shelf was a phrase I had heard shortly before my oldest son was born. I did not look into it at all and had no desire to do this activity. If you are familiar with the Elf on the Shelf, you know having one can be as simple or as involved as you make it. Personally, I did not want to add another activity to the already busy month of December. Other kids talked about their Elf on the Shelf. I saw posts of the shenanigans of friends’ elves.

Our Intro to The Elf on the Shelf

My oldest son came home from pre-school one day. He was talking all about their classroom’s Elf on the Shelf. After hearing his excitement, I took notice when others shared ideas and photos about their Elf on the Shelf’s daily activities. My interest began to grow and I was a little open-minded about this activity.

That time of Year

One year we made our annual visit to see a particular Santa Claus. This was pre-COVID, so there was no social distancing. In the few years after COVID, before seeing this Santa, it is required to schedule the visit. At the time of our early visits we did not have to sign up for a certain day and time to go. Therefore, the line was long, mostly in the evening.

To pass the time one parent would usually stand in line while the other parent took the kids around to the different activities. One activity was making a craft. That usually included some type of ornament for the Christmas tree. Another thing to do was to build with Lincoln Logs. My two older kiddos competed against each other to see who could build the tallest tower without it falling down. My oldest son enjoyed building the most.

Kids could do target practice with archery and shooting. There was also a kinetic sand station. My middle son enjoyed all that there was to do, but mostly playing in the Kinetic sand. Many children also enjoyed watching the large fish in the big tank. Of course, there was also the fun of climbing on the boats and ATVs. Finally, kids could color while watching a movie.

As I stood in line I watched part of the movie, which was The Elf on the Shelf. Through watching some of that I was able to gain some additional insight into the story of the Elf on the Shelf. I was not completely focused on the movie, but caught bits and pieces of it.

The Movie’s Plot

The scout elves are sent by Santa to specific families. In the movie’s plot, a certain scout elf was sent to a specific family because the oldest child was beginning to not believe in Santa. The scout elf was tasked with trying to get the child to believe in Santa again, like he did when he was younger. As the movie went on, I learned a few details. The family gives the elf its name. That gives the elf its Christmas magic to fly to and from the North Pole every day. No one is permitted to touch the elf or it loses its magic and can’t fly back to the North Pole. When the elf gets back to the North Pole it must stay there in sick bay until it regains strength.

The Elf’s Task

The Elf on the Shelf flies to the North Pole each night to give reports to Santa about the family. Then, before the family wakes up, it flies back to the place where the family is. The elf is in a new spot every day and the kids get to search for it. In the movie the Elves on the Shelf got to know their family members and solved problems for them.

Set Rules/Specifics Early On

The Elf on the Shelf has become something a little different. It shows up either just after Thanksgiving or on December 1^st. He or she still needs to be named by the family to gain “magic.” No one is permitted to touch the Elf on the Shelf or it loses that magic. Some parents adopt one or more loopholes for some of the rules. For example, some decide that adults can touch the elf to move it; adults can touch with oven mitts; or parents can pick up the Elf on the Shelf with tongs, if necessary.

It is best to set the rules about touching the elf early on. It would be a sad day for your child to see you pick up the elf with oven mitts on, not being aware that it was alright. Another idea for people touching the elf is for the last day he or she are with you. The kids are allowed to give a very gentle hug to say goodbye until the next year.

Elf Behavior

Another thing about the Elf on the Shelf is that some of the elves get up to mischief. Some elves make lots of messes to try to be funny. They will also get themselves into a predicament. One example I have seen of Elf on the Shelf mischief is getting into a snowball fight with other toys. Another one is spilling flour on the floor and leaving tiny white footprints around the room. I was not interested in cleaning up after an elf and putting that on my ‘to do’ list. Sometimes it is also used as a scare tactic to get children to behave. I was not interested in that, either.

Beginning with an elf

Over the last few years my two oldest kiddos experienced the Elf on the Shelf in their classrooms. They were excited to share the elf’s names and what it was up to on a daily basis. One evening in November my husband and I were shopping by ourselves. The Elf on the Shelf kits were conveniently placed on a shelf at many adult’s eye level. My husband and I had not discussed getting one, but decided just then to purchase one. There were so many options to choose from. We could choose gender and skin color. Because we have boys we decided to get a boy elf, as well. We took him home and hid him until it was time for him to begin his assignment. It was time for my creativity to shine.

Also, look on The Elf on the Shelf website for more ideas, crafts, free printables and more!