Welcoming the Elf on The Shelf back into your home is a fun tradition but it can be overwhelming. To be honest the Elf on The Shelf doesn’t stay on a shelf as often as he should. He brings treats, he’s friends with Barbie, he flies from the fan, sometimes he’s pooping chocolate chips or driving a car but his biggest job (or so they say) is to report back to Santa.
Your responsibility once you adopt this tradition is to find creative ways to pose the Elf or hide the Elf while keeping it all TOP SECRET!! I am as creative as they come and I love Christmas but like most other moms I don't have time for the grand plans my Pinterest boards have promised me. So after they go to bed if I‘m still awake, I have to kidnap the Elf from his current hostage location and create a new magical moment. All this sneaking around without any of my children catching the “magic” in action, no pressure right?
Let’s be optimistic, if you are organized and creative, have one child with one Elf (I can’t even wrap my brain around more than one Elf) maybe you can pull it off for 25 days without any hiccups but realistically you might need a few quick ideas just in case they win at the bedtime stand off and you are asleep before the kids.
Pinterest perfect mom or not even the most organized parent forgets to move the Elf on occasion. For some moms like me you might spend a better part of your weeknights and early mornings in a panic realizing you still have to move the Elf. In those moments my plans shift from a Pinterest taco truck scene to throwing the Elf in some blankets on the couch so he can watch Netflix and they still love it.
All parents are exhausted particularly ones with children young enough to enjoy this tradition. I can’t be the only one who has made some poor choices while hiding the Elf. I‘ll warn you now, putting the Elf in the floor vent is a poor choice.. Save your judgment I have 4 children and only the baby sleeps so my standards are set reasonably low right now. I swear, I’m going to make an Elf Confessions post on Instagram because that just sounds like a great outlet for some humbling humor.
There will be days that you wake up scrambling for a creative idea that ends with you quickly sliding the Elf into the coffee pot (also a poor choice) or another kitchen appliance in desperation. Let’s face it last minute Elf ideas are probably not the Pinterest moments you planned out, and thats ok.
There is a season for everything and if you are not in the season to bring back the Elf with custom shipping tape on a fancy box, with a yard sign and balloon art banner spelling your child’s name …Don’t stress, less is more!
Your Elf could be tired from flying to the North Pole every night. Treat your Elf and yourself with kindness, give him a break from being busy by hiding him in really hard to find places.. like in your pillowcase with just his elf hat sticking out that could take them forever to find him!! Surprisingly on the mornings that I‘ve left the Elf to be basic OG Elf on The Shelf the kids are more entertained then the days when I have mastered my Pinterest plans and its #Instagood.
What ever Elf plans you have time for this Christmas make sure you are enjoying it. Don’t let a fun tradition become an overwhelming task. The kids will trade stories at school and they will be just fine if your Elf isn’t painting a tooth paste mural in the bathroom. Social media has created a FOMO monster in of all of us and its time to let that go. Mom shame is a prime motivator to overcommit to ridiculous ideas (like empowering your Bob Ross Elf to paint mirrors with toothpaste) Enjoy your Elf and your holidays, do less and spend more time enjoying it!
5 Easy GO-TO Elf Ideas When You Are Just Done For The Day.
- “Binge watching The Grinch ” ..
- Chilling with my Gnomies…
- Elf to Wall (They Elf’d Up ..You know for when their listening ears are lost in holiday madness)
- “O Christmas Tree”.. (Or any tree for that matter)
- The Elf can actually just sit on a shelf.. find a decorated mantle or shelf and wha-la!
