Jocelyn and I are terrible at coming up with Elf on the Shelf Ideas…
We are always too tired at the end of the day to care where the stupid elf is going to end up by morning…
Sound familiar to all you parents out there?
Jocelyn and I thought we’d share a post about our Elf on the Shelf ideas to make you feel better about yours!
Over-achieving Elf on the Shelf ninja parents… you might want to leave now and start hand carving that working teeter-totter Barbie and Ralph the Elf will be blissfully playing on come morning… this article is not for you…
You’ve got this figured out… love what ya do… wish we could… we have neither the time nor talent…
Did you throw your Elf randomly last night before bed with the vague hope it would land somewhere new?
Awesome! Stick around because we did too!
If you are a parent of small kids like us, you know all about the Elf on the Shelf
For the uninitiated, the Elf on the Shelf is this little toy you buy for like thirty or forty bucks.
It’s a Christmas “tradition,” says so right on the box (even though it was invented in like 2005).
It’s a simple toy backed by BRILLIANT marketing.
It also comes with a book you read to your kids, and a DVD to show them how to use the Elf.
Pretty routine story; magic elf, works for Santa. Shows up just after Thanksgiving.
Turns out he’s a little spy sent to see if your kids are naughty or nice, your kid gets to name the thing like its some creepy little pet.
But here’s the kicker
Every night the Elf on the Shelf flies back to the North Pole to report to Santa, and then flies back to your house and either:
- Causes mischief around the house and/or
- Plays hide and seek with your kid EVERY DAY UNTIL CHRISTMAS
*Deep breath. Sigh.*
See, unbeknownst to your toddler, the Elf on the Shelf (which is an ironic name because he’s never really ON the shelf) is not really magic, can’t really hide nor cause any mischief on his own.
So you know what that means…
Mommy and/or Daddy get the task of creating innovative Elf on the Shelf Ideas and moving this little guy around every night for a month!
Awesome…because parents with little kids don’t have enough to do already.
I don’t know about you, but when our kids go to sleep, we just want to relax — surf the web, watch some TV, talk on the phone, maybe read a book,
Not stress about where we are going to hide a toy elf with the off chance of ruining our kids’ childhood memories or causing nightmares.
Then you start looking online for Elf on the Shelf ideas and you realize that there are parents out there who apparently went to school to get four-year degrees in Elf on the Shelf Architecture and Interior Design.
Elf on the shelf is a constant arms race of one-upmanship that pits you versus all other parents, your kids, and YOURSELF.
“Did I beat my best friend’s idea he/she posted on Pinterest last night…”
“Is this idea better than my Elf on the Shelf idea from last Monday…
“Did I raise the bar…am I stepping up my game…are my children happy…am I ruining Christmas….”
No, that’s the elf.
Did I say that out loud?
Pretty sure the person that thought up this marketing masterpiece up didn’t really have kids, because if they did they would NEVER have included the requirement to move him every day…
But that’s the rules, and sure as bunnies lay eggs, fairies steal teeth, and Santa brings presents…
The Elf’s gotta move.
So in the spirit of Christmas.
We proudly present our best Christmas Elf on the Shelf Ideas…
Elf on the Shelf Ideas: Idea #1 – The Toothbrush Thief
So we thought this one was awesome.
“Oh look, Clyde the Elf (that’s what our son named ours) decided to use your toothbrush, that crazy elf!”
Then we remembered Elf on the Shelf Rule #1: No one is allowed to touch the Elf or you will drain the magic out of him like some kind of energy sucking vampire and he’ll die… er, won’t fly…or whatever awful thing you told your kid so he’d leave the Elf alone for a month.
Well, brother didn’t have another toothbrush, so he didn’t get to brush his teeth that day for fear of murdering our elf.
Elf Life > Tooth Hygiene. Always.
We have learned to always think through the consequences of where you put the Elf!
Elf on the Shelf Ideas: Idea #2 – Near the Stove
Okay, so this was a great idea you are free to use to save time.
We put Clyde the Elf over to the right of the stove on our counter. Then the next day to the left of the stove!
BOOM. Two days down, only 28 to go!
We tried to keep this one going, so the third day we put Clyde ON the stove. We were getting into this, feeling a little creativity starting to course through our veins, so we got out a pot and put Clyde in it. We were thinking “Haha, Clyde made a hot tub…”
But that just made Isaac and Anna cry because they thought the Elf was being cooked for dinner.
On second thought, never use the stove idea. Bad idea. Forget we mentioned it.
Elf on the Shelf Ideas: Idea #3 – Various Handles
Handles are great places to put the Elf on the Shelf. You can wedge his body into most of them quickly.
You can use a Microwave handle. Just don’t put him IN the Microwave… stove… pot… remember?
Just like with online business, beat the learning curve by avoiding our mistakes!
Weedeater handle. Which is in the garage… and the kids will never find him… and think Santa hates them… nevermind…
Coffee pot handle… wait… no coffee today… dang it… we learned NOTHING from the toothbrush idea!
Anyway…
Other than preventing you from making coffee and cooking in the microwave, handles are a great tactic when you forget to move the Elf at night and you are walking around with your toddler saying “Elf where are you? Elf where are you?” at six o’clock in the morning helping your kid “figure out where the Elf is hiding.”
Even though you actually have him wadded up in your hand or stuffed in your pocket waiting for your kid to look the other way for two seconds…when she does, cram your Elf in a handle and go “Oh there he is!”
Works every time.
Elf on the Shelf Ideas: Idea #4 – Curtains and Blinds
Curtains and blinds have all sorts of cracks and crevasses to stuff your elf into, as well as strings and hooks to hang him on.
It’s kinda like he got stuck sneaking back in from the North Pole.
Okay… hanging the Elf may have been a bad idea…
Isaac asked me “How can Clyde breathe daddy?”
My answer?
“Magic son…magic.”
Elf on the Shelf Ideas: Idea #5 – Copy Other Parents Ideas
Sometimes we just wait until the Elf on the Shelf ninjas post their nightly pics online and copy what they do.
This frees your mind from worrying about “what the elf is going to do tonight?”
Although sometimes it doesn’t always work out as good as the original.
Original: A Friend of ours did THIS
Awesome…
Ribbon, door, Elf on the Shelf climbing on the Ribbon… yeah, we got this!
“Jocelyn, where is the ribbon?”
“We are out of ribbon”
Hmmmm… no ribbon…but we do have duct tape!
Elf on the Shelf is A LOT like Online Business
We always tell people we help get started in online business “It ain’t gotta be perfect!”
The important thing is to do SOMETHING! Take ACTION! And have FUN!
You can’t get caught up in what others are doing, or try to make everything perfect and hit the home run every time!
Same thing with the Elf!
Bottom line.
Don’t feel so pressured to go crazy with your Elf on the Shelf Ideas.
Just move him around.
Your kids will have fun with it no matter what, and eventually, they’ll figure out it’s not real and we all can move on with our lives.
The Elf on the Shelf is a lot of fun, even though it takes a little work every night.
Our kids get up every morning so excited to see where he is hiding or what he has been up to.
And no matter how simple the spot, no matter how bad I screw up the decorations, they always cackle with laughter and joy.
Same thing with your online business!
The most important thing is to get your content out there!
Your videos don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to edit for hours or use perfect grammar.
Your audio doesn’t have to sound like a million bucks.
And you sure as heck don’t need the fanciest website with all the bells and whistles.
Just help people with what you know, and they will love you for it!
And just like moving around the Elf for the kids, helping your audience always makes it all worth the effort!
Although next year, I may tell my kids Clyde got transferred from the spy department back to making toys.
God bless, and have a great Christmas season!
Do you do Elf on the Shelf with your kids? Share some ideas in the comments!
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If you have comments or questions, please be sure to leave them below in the comment section of this post. See y’all next week!
Ashlyn Tengan says
Hilarious! I’ve seen friends on Facebook post pics of their Elf on the Shelf ideas, but I never knew what it was all about (thanks for explaining it).
I like how you added online business into the mix! That’s gonna stick with me as I chug on. 🙂
Great post, Shane! And I totally LOL’ed at the duct tape idea. Too funny!
Jeff Van Meter says
I cannot believe that the first post I am responding to is Elf on the Shelf, the bane of my existence! My son is 10 years old and still believes in The Elf and Santa. While Santa is a bit of an issue, the Elf is ridiculous. How I wish we’d never gotten the thing. I desperately try to not lie to my children, but man. Anyway, I’ve been a subcriber to your podcast since about episode 3. You two are fantastic. I love how you simplify and ignore “the gurus”. Keep up the great work. I am just getting started on my brand and products and your information is so helpful.
Angela says
I’m tired but can’t go to sleep yet because I haven’t moved “snowball” yet. I was cracking up when you said you walked around the house at 6 am looking for the the kids to look away for a second so u could hide him somewhere….elf scrunched up on your hand! That was me this morning, also at 6! Haha. My friends fb posts about the elf r so elaborate, sheesh. My daughter is 9 I thought she wouldn’t belive in this but she does, last year she cried when he went back to North pole while I cried of happiness that it was finally over.
Here’s one idea I took from someone on fB…I put him in a bowl with a bunch of cotton balls to look like he was in a bubble bath, and I put a mini minion toy in a jar next to it like he was torturing him.
Seth Cauthorne says
So awesome! Classic! I just showed this to my wife, and we were both in hysterics. This is our life during December, as we have two little girls. Sometimes one of us sits up in bed at 6am going, “Aw crap–we forgot to move the Elf!” I’ve now set a reminder on my phone to make sure we don’t forget. The kids love it and look for it every morning, but it is the bane of our existence… 🙂
Paul says
We have had our “Elf on the Shelf ” for about 5 years , our daughter is now nine. Our Elf just goes by Chippy, he is not the stuffed toy looking version. It is the one they call the Roman edition, he is a small ceramic type in sitting position while holding a book. I printed pages and glued them on his book with our daughter’s name and a Naughty and Nice ledger, (all nice but one naughty). I glued a magnet on his seat so he can be placed in real interesting and fun places. I even went around the house and glued some unseen metal washers in out of the way places. Our daughter LOVES this Christmas tradition and so do we, it is so much fun and adds a very special magic into our home for the holidays. We truly feel it is the best addition to Christmas tradition in generations!