AS we inch closer to Christmas parents will be deciding if they want to take part in Elf on the Shelf this year or not.
Love it or hate it, the cheeky elves takeover homes up and down the country each December, both exhausting and challenging parents to think of new creative set ups.
The idea is they work as spires for Father Christmas, hide around the house ready to report back to the North Pole with their family’s activities.
You can have one elf in your home, but having two or more usually makes for more fun.
The only problem is that it can be tricky to come up with new ways to Have no fear though – a problem shared is a problem halved.
Here, Elf on the Shelf pro Annabel, from London, shares some of the quick, easy and fun scenes she’s created for her two kids, seven and five, over the last three years…
As with many families, the elves have become a tradition in Annabel’s house.
She says: “It’s such a fun family activity, the kids love running around the house and finding props from everyday objects to make scenes.
“When they have friends over around Christmas we set them challenges to come up with different scenes, I’m now known as ‘Mrs Elf on the Shelf’ to my kids’ friends!”
You don’t have to go mad with the set up to provide hours of fun either.
Annabel created this rainbow ball pit in just a few minutes.
She says: “This was our favourite – it was so easy to do and looks great!
“It only took a couple of mins to fill a cup up with jelly beans and we laughed for hours about this one.”
To personalise it, you could switch jelly beans for your kids’ favourite sweets, like skittles or smarties, and could add a slide for extra brownie points.
You don’t have to spend a fortune either.
Annabel says: “Use what you already have at home – kids toys, crafts, food… it’s amazing how you can turn everyday objects into a Christmas scene.
“For this balloon bubble bath, we didn’t have any balloons but found some polystyrene balls in our craft box.
“This one was so easy and I think it looks so good.”
“The kids are so excited each year when we get the Christmas stuff out and see the elves as they know how much fun we have.
“We pretend they have been sleeping all year and now ready to cause mischief!”
If stuck for inspo, Annabel recommends looking on social media for ideas – and there are plenty of Elf On A Shelf Facebook groups with thousands of parents and guardians sharing their ideas.
She says: “I also got the Top Trumps pack [available on Amazon] to help me come up with ideas – there are 30 fun scenes.
“The kids love getting cards then trying to recreate what is on there, it’s then such a fun family game to play.
“Every time we play they talk about the time we did that scene.”
Some set ups can become fun game activities for the family too, like this ‘North Roly Polies’ idea.
All it requires are your elves and two rolls of toilet paper.
The first person to get their elf to the bottom of the stairs wins!
Still stuck? Annabel adds: “Sometimes I do a scene at night so when the kids wake up, it puts a smile on their faces before school, which is a great start to the day!
“Also visiting shops with Christmas decorations up – we always think how we could recreate it with our elves.
“When we have visitors over to the house we ask them to create something for us – people have so many great ideas.”
