As part of our Christmas tradition, the kids have always written a letter to Santa Claus telling him what they have been doing well and sharing their wish lists. Well, this year we introduced a new tradition- the Christmas Elf On The Shelf and we are so excited to share it with you. I’ll tell you how we introduced the Elf On The Shelf to our kids and give you lots of great Elf on The Shelf ideas!
This post is sponsored by Kohls but all opinions expressed are my own.
Introducing The Christmas Elf On The Shelf To Our Kids
This year my kids wrote letters to Santa and stuck them in the fireplace (to get picked up) and the next morning, the Christmas Elf on the Shelf was waiting on the mantle. Their letters were gone and the Elf brought a book. They were so excited! They were already very familiar with the Elf on the Shelf because many of their friends had elves already. They wanted to explain to me all about how it works and it was all news to me. No touching the elf – although their friend said that their mother said, brown sugar is a save if it happened by accident. I assured them that peppermint sticks probably worked better (and are less messy).
Then we read the Christmas Elf on the Shelf book together to help clear up all the details. They paid lots of attention and they have already referred back to the book to show that they are in fact able to talk to the elf and he will hear them. My son picked the name Stewart for our elf.
A New Christmas Tradition- Family Moments Spent With Our Elf on the Shelf
Cleaning
The Elf on the Shelf inspired something amazing- they cleaned the toy room unbidden! Really! I heard my daughter telling my son that they had to clean up the toy room so that Stewart could tell Santa how good they have been! Believe me, I milked that for all it was worth! I hope this stays a part of our new Christmas tradition!
Notes
My son writes Stewart the Elf notes. Little messages like, “Do you like these people?” with cartoon character drawings attached. My daughter wrote him a long message with an item she forgot to put on her Christmas list but just has to have. She left it for him with all the money in her piggy bank to help out! It is fun seeing what is going on in their brains!
A photo posted by Family Focus (@familyfocusblog) on
Cooking
My son really likes Stewart and he wanted to make him cookies. I had to convince him that we should make enough cookies for us too while we were at it! So we started our Christmas cookie baking early this year and I have a feeling we will be trying out a lot more recipes this year too! We also made Stewart some donuts (cheerios with melted chips and sprinkles). When my husband moved the elf that night I asked him where he put the donuts and he gave me a guilty look and said his belly!
Gifts
Stewart, the elf, must have liked the cookies so much he brought pajamas for the kids! Elf on the Shelf pajamas! And they are so cute. My kids were thrilled to see Stewart the Elf brought them a gift! The Boys 4-10 The Elf on the Shelf 4-piece Pajama Set and the The Elf on the Shelf Striped Nightgown – Girls 4-10 are just a few of Kohl’s exclusive Elf on the Shelf items. We have a few more gift ideas up our sleeves to get the kids excited but we haven’t pulled out all the stops yet. We are holding back on the “Claus Couture Collection® Perfect Party Set & Playful PJ’s Collection by The Elf on the Shelf®” but it is hard to make myself wait!
Racing
Every morning is a fun race around the house to find the Christmas Elf on the Shelf. Then we speculate about what he will see from that vantage point. So far he has spent most of his time in the toy room. My husband and I are having fun thinking of interesting placement ideas for our Elf on the Shelf.
We are really enjoying all these extra special holiday moments we are having with our children. I just love this new Christmas Elf on the Shelf tradition!
Recently, Kohl’s unveiled exclusive family-friendly Elf on the Shelf product in the spirit of the holiday season. The new collection boasts fun children’s pajamas, festive dinnerware, and cute outfits for your Elf so shop online at kohls.com or in your local store for some fun Elf on the Shelf products!
Do you have an Elf on the Shelf? I’d love to hear about your family moments spent with your Christmas Elf on the Shelf! What is a favorite Christmas tradition of yours?
#kohls #ScoutElfReturnWeek
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Krystal says
We are doing the Elf for the first time this year. I keep forgetting to move him!
Ann Bacciaglia says
The Elf on the shelf is such a great tradition. There are so many fun things you can do. My friend just got hers this year. She has been planning all the fun the elf is going to get into.
Brett Martin says
We too have the Elf on the Shelf in our house. The kids and I have been having a blast with him.
Liz Mays says
I think it’s so cute how much they love the tradition. It’s also phenomenal that they cleaned up on their own!
Crystal says
We love our elf Joey. He is sweet rather than mischievous. The kids love the surprises, and I love seeing their faces each morning!
Janis @MommyBlogExpert says
Elf on the shelf is such a fun tradition and I love seeing what everyone is doing with it to make it their own. Your kids in their elf PJs is really cute too.