Having an Elf on the Shelf is a fun way to kick off the holiday season in your home. And there are so many great ways to welcome your Elf to your house!
Whether you’re inviting an Elf on the Shelf to your home for the first time or just welcoming him back for another mischievous holiday season, you’ll love these ideas for welcoming your Elf on the Shelf to your house.
Ideas to Welcome Your Elf on the Shelf
1. Christmas Breakfast
Putting together a special Christmas-themed breakfast from your family’s Elf is a great way to welcome him to your home.
Whether you just make a big breakfast with pancakes and bacon or create a more Christmas-y spread, having a special breakfast on the day your Elf arrives is a fun family tradition you can do every year.
There are a few fun ways to incorporate your Elf into this easy tradition.
- Make it look like your Elf delivered all the ingredients for the holiday breakfast, then make the breakfast together as a family.
- Make the breakfast before your kids wake up, then make it look like your Elf whipped up the meal for the family.
- Set a place at the table for your family’s Elf and invite her to join the meal.
2. Christmas Cookies
Celebrating your Elf’s return with a batch of sweet treats is the perfect way to welcome him for the holiday season!
Christmas cookies are a fun tradition during the holiday season. And since Elf and Santa work hand-in-hand, you can be sure he loves cookies almost as much as his boss.
Make this sweet Elf tradition fun for your family by customizing. Here are some unique ways to welcome your Elf to your home with cookies:
- Whip up a batch of your kid’s favorite cookies and set them on a plate next to your Elf when he arrives, making it look like he brought the cookies from the North Pole for the kids.
- Set out ingredients for your kid’s favorite cookies with the recipe from your Elf, then spend the afternoon making cookies together as a family.
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3. Hide and Seek
Does your Elf love to hide from your kids when he returns from the North Pole each night?
Make his arrival a game of hide and seek by hiding your Elf and asking the kids to find him on his arrival date.
To make this tradition work, be sure your Elf arrives on the same day each year. This gives your kids something to look forward to each holiday season and makes his arrival a fun game for the whole family.
Here are some fun ways to add this Elf game to your holiday traditions:
- Hide your elf in a spot that’s challenging for your youngest child but still visible, then let your kids know he has arrived and send them on a search of the house.
- Leave a note out letting your kids know Elf has arrived and is hiding somewhere in the house. Ask them to search the house for their Elf.
4. Tree Decorating
Get your Elf involved in decorating the tree by tying her arrival to the annual tradition.
If your kids love helping decorate the tree, they’ll love having their Elf be part of the Christmas fun. And there are so many great ways to start adding your Elf to your tree decorating festivities.
- Set up the tree while the kids are sleeping, then set the Elf in the branches. Leave the ornaments out near the tree so your kids can help decorate when they wake up.
- Start decorating the tree with the more fragile ornaments, then leave a pile of unbreakable ornaments near the tree for your kids to hang. Place a note from your Elf next to the ornaments saying he’ll arrive after the tree is decorated for Christmas.
5. A Celebration!
Your Elf’s arrival is definitely a reason to celebrate! Make a big deal of the event by creating a celebration surrounding his arrival.
What I love about this simple idea is that you can make it your own.
Whether you host a big party or just decorate your house, making your Elf’s arrival a celebration is a great way to get your kids excited about the holidays.
Here are some fun ways to celebrate when your family’s elf arrives:
- Hang streamers from your kid’s bedroom doors and place balloons on the floor. When your kids wake up, tell them that their Elf decorated the house because he’s so happy to be visiting.
- Have an Elf-inspired Christmas party with cookies and milk. Decorate the dining room table with North Pole themed décor and set out cookies and milk for your family to enjoy when your Elf arrives.
6. Presents for the Kids
Just because Santa gets all the gift-giving glory during the holidays doesn’t mean that your family’s Elf can’t get in on the fun.
This year, make your Elf’s arrival special with a simple gift for your kids from your Elf. The gift doesn’t have to be big or flashy, just something special to kick off the holiday season.
Looking for some gift ideas? These easy presents are perfect:
- A Christmas book (you can’t go wrong with this classic!)
- Gingerbread house kit (try this mini Elf on the Shelf version!)
- Christmas movie
- Holiday pajamas
- A new ornament for the tree
So you can see, there are many ways to welcome your Elf on the Shelf that are not only fun, but easy enough to implement.
Have some fun this year and give your Elf the grand entrance your kids will love.
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