The last of our Elf on the Shelf inspired posts, today let’s talk about some adorable Christmas Elf ideas to do with our Mini Elf Family Sewing Pattern.
As I’ve mentioned before, I like to use our Christmas Elves a little differently than the traditional Elf on the Shelf. Instead of just getting into mischief, our elves bring a combination of fun books and games and meaningful activities.
As much as I’d love to fit an adorable, meaningful moment into every single day of December, I just can’t. I’d get way too tired and the special events would be less special if they weren’t compared to a few more ordinary days.
Again, I’ve been collecting items for the elves through the years so that I can catch them on sale. I keep a bin of elf stuff with our Christmas decorations, and so each day I can go down and grab and item to put with the elves. I reuse them every year. (To save money and keep things simpler, but also because it makes it feel more like a tradition when they come out!) You could obviously use items you already have to create a similar effect without committing to an entire bin of Elf Stuff.
So, here are a few simple and adorable Christmas Elf ideas for the days when you need to keep things a little more simple.
1. Elf on a Tractor
What can I say, my son is 4 and he loves tractors. I grabbed this one at Hobby Lobby and he loves playing with it when I pull it out each year. Sometimes I tie a mini Christmas tree for him to pull on back. Sometimes I don’t.
The wooden deer friend is a Christmas ornament from Hobby Lobby, I just removed the hanging loop from his back.
2. Elf Building a Snowman
I made a bunch of snowmen using our Snug Little Snowman sewing pattern to keep in our Elf Bin. Throw some mittens on the elf and put him and the snowman literally anywhere and you’ve got yourself a cute playset.
3. Elves go Sledding
I found a mini sled Christmas Ornament, removed the hang loop and had the perfect Elf Sled. My kid thinks it’s hilarious when I find random things in the house of them to use as a ‘sledding hill’. (Throw pillows, the banister… the toilet lid….)
4. Christmas Crowns
I purchased these lovely handmade Christmas Crowns from Polar Post and love to pull them out each year. The elves usually bring them early in the season so we can wear them for festive events all season long.
5. Penguin Eggs
I bought some mini wooden eggs in two sizes and painted them to look like penguins. I also painted a couple small ones to look like penguin eggs. This worked nicely for a few days worth of elf deliveries. One day they show up with the big penguins. Then one day the penguins have eggs. Then another day the eggs magically turn into baby penguins.
6. Christmas Music Box
Another fun delivery to get at the beginning of the season is a Holiday Music box. They can show up with it one day, and then you can keep it out all season long to enjoy.
7. Elf Garland
Included in our Mini Elf Family sewing pattern are directions to put magnets in the arms and legs of your elves. This allows them to ‘hug’ an item really easily, or to hang from anything metal. I found this cute jingle bell garland, and the elves stick to the metal bells. I love to hang it up and set up an elf trapeze act one day. You can leave the garland up all season and use it anytime you need a place to stick your elves.
8. A Special Holiday Book
In truth, we do a lot of Christmas Book delivery days. I love curling up next to the tree and reading a holiday story. I’ve collected a few favorites over the years, but we also just get a big pile of holiday books at the library that we spread out through the season.
