Elf on the Shelf

Having realised that you can have a frugal version of Elf on the Shelf,  I decided about a month ago to give it a go this year.

It was only a few days ago though that I suddenly had a thought, that we may only have a couple of years left of him believing in Father C, and this made me a little sad, as for the last 16 years we have had the magic of Santa in our homes at Christmas.

So, will make the very most of making these next few years very magical.

Back to the Elf.  The Elf on the Shelf is a children's book explaining the story of Santa's scout elves who are sent to be Santa's eyes and ears at children's homes around the world. The original book and Elf are around £30 on Amazon but you can buy the  DVD from Argos at £2.99 (p&p inc) and I  found a cuddly Elf for £1.99 at the Card Factory.

So basically, this little Elf who I have called Elfie, is supposed to arrive with a letter from Mr C. There are lots of different versions according  to Pinterest, but I like this one:

I hope you are  excited that Christmas is almost here!

As you know, this is my busiest time of the year as I'm here in the North Pole finishing off all of the toys for the boys and girls around the world.  Because you have  been good so far this year, I’ve have sprinkled magic dust on your little Elf which will last until Christmas Eve/

Elfie is going to watch over you and let me know if you’re being naughty or nice so I want you to be on your best behaviour.  As long as you continue to be good then I will be delivering you some lovely presents ready for you to open on Christmas morning.

I must tell you this though, Elfie may be a little bit cheeky and he might get up to a little mischief while he’s staying with you.  He might to play hide and seek and may  find new places to hide and new messes to make so I hope you enjoy looking for him every day and tidying up the mess he might make!

Please leave him on your Christmas tree before you go to bed on Christmas Eve and I’ll take him back to the North Pole with me until next year when he’ll be back to stay with you again – if you’ll have him!

Lots of Love,

Santa

Now I have changed the original letter around and made up the bit about the magic dust. The normal Elf procedure is for him to "arrive" with the letter from Santa, bus as J was with me when I bought the Elf  I decided to go with the whole magic dust thing.

So from the 1st of December for  24 days M and I will have to hide Elfie in different places and also stage his mishaps and naughty antics.  Lots of ideas again on Pinterest, and here are a few of my favs: (the original Elf is more bendy than the cuddly one I have bought, so is less adaptable in certain situations)

I like this idea of preparing a real sugary breakfast of donuts and cupcakes with Christmas crockery and napkins

Other ideas:-
Elf sat in action man car
Sat in a toy digger
With his head in a bag on sweets
Listening to an iPod
On the laptop
Hiding in a glass or jar
Sat in a Lego made chair
Playing cards
Hiding in a pair of shoes or wellies
Playing the keyboard (or other musical instrument)
In the fridge with a blanket around him
Sat next to a family photo - with fake moustaches on the faces
For Christmas Eve, sat looking or in if you have a big enough set, a Nativity Scene.

(that's 24 ideas)

You can also get the printable cards here