Easy/Funny elf ideas?

[expectantsteelerfan]

Anyone want to share easy/funny ideas to do with that darn elf?

I know I can google, but those tend to be really involved and much more effort that I'm looking to put into this.  But I also get tired of just moving it from spot to spot.

Some of the ones I do are:
-Put him in the fridge wrapped in a dish towel and put red or green food coloring in the milk.
-Stick him on a shelf with lots of family pictures, and use double sided sticky tape with the really mini red puff balls to 'rudolf' him and several of the kids' pictures. (This involved buying one package of the puff balls, but that one package has lasted many years and I put it in the box I keep the elf in so I don't lose it and kids don't find it).
- Stick him in an empty kleenex box with a dish towel over him and some crumpled kleenex around like he has a cold.
-Put in him our powder room wrapped in wrapping paper and tape on the back of the toiler, because every year he 'wraps' the 2 pictures that aren't holiday themed that hang in there in wrapping paper and puts bows on them to make them look like gifts (the wrapping paper is in the color of the powder room so it matches the decor).

He also 'brings' a few things, like our matching family jammies, our advent calendar, and special ornaments.  

I could use a few more 'fun' ideas and then the rest of the days he can just move around.

[Patsy Baloney]

We have quite a bit of holiday decor that ours hangs around with - she’ll ride on my ceramic reindeer or go inside the Santa mailbox we have, hold onto the star at the top of the tree, leave a message on a letter board we have. One year, I made the letter board say something like: “nice list: dad, mom, kid 1, kid 2; not sure: cat” That got a big kick out of my oldest.

[Patsy Baloney]

If you have any doll clothes (Barbie, especially) it’s funny to put the elf in a dress.

[countthestars]

- Put him in a bowl with a spoon and a brownie mix (on a day you don't mind them baking)
- Have him paint your spouse's toenails and leave him with the nail polish to figure it out
- Make a snowman out of marshmallows and a toothpick
- Have him play tic tac toe with another stuffed animal (can just use paper and pen or stickers)
- Put him and other dolls/stuffies in socks and have a "slumber party"
- Move him to another shelf (my default when I'm feeling defeated)

[Roc A Bee]

I saw one that was a bowl of water with a pair of googly eyes and a felt orange triangle with a sign that said “I brought you a snowman”

[rosiebear]

Put him in the middle of the floor with nothing around him but a sign that says “Elf By Myself”

Put him on top of a candle and say he’s in the hot seat.

If you do cards, surround him at the table with a few cards, envelopes, stamps, etc., as if he’s sending out cards himself

I like the idea of him and another figure playing chess, cards, or whatever game you like

In the bathtub with a few squirts of shaving cream on the sides of the tub or tub crayon drawings

[circa1978]

If you have him swing from a light fixture, be careful where you put him because light bulbs are hot and elves are flammable. Voice of experience over here. Buddy was never the same.

Also, one thing we did that DS loved and was very low energy on my part was get a fairy garden door and put it up against a wall the night the elf arrived. That's how he came and went to the north pole.

[mccallister84]

My kids favorite is when he throws their (clean) underwear on the tree.

Some years he will wrap the tree in toilet paper (just around it a few times like garland).

I stack three rolls of toilet paper on the back of the toilet and draw eyes and a carrot nose on it and then stick him inside the rolls.

I draw faces on banana peels and oranges.

But about half the nights (if not more) all he does is move.

[luckystar2]

Depends on age. If they are young, a lot can be done with their toys.
When dd was young, I had the elf set up a lot with her toys. Was dancing with her ballerina. With Barbie in her car. With Cinderella in her carriage. In the doll house with her dolls. Set up “making” dessert in doll house kitchen. One year he brought a small Christmas tree for doll house. One year he was in her little people airplane and we strung it up so it was flying. Playing with her legos. Bring a little Christmas stuffed animal.

Once she got older didn’t use toys as much.
-“Bake” a treat. I will pick up a fun baked goodie and have the elf by the kitchen aid and dust some flour around and have the treat out.
-flour snow angel on counter
-Candy cane zipline. Ribbon strung between cabinets and using a candy cane as zipline
-Marshmallow hot tub - put him in a small bowl filled with mini marshmallows
-Christmas bow “rock” climbing - I stuck the bows to our sliding glass door and he used them like rock climbing wall
-snowball fight - I found a cheap snowball set and he left that with a note to have an indoor snowball fight with mom and dad
-he hid candy canes
-sitting on a swing. Just used some yarn and small piece of cardboard
-been in the fridge wrapped around can of whipped cream
-“roasting marshmallows” next to candle (unlit!) with a mini marshmallow on a pretzel stick
-every year he brings an ornament so he’s on tree with it
-some years he’s brought gifts that needed to be given before Christmas - like a Christmas shirt, tickets to Disney on ice, etc

My kid is old now so those have been over many years. Most of the time it was just hiding the elf somewhere. I’d try to mix it up on where and how but after several years I think I’ve done it all. And then I’d sprinkle in the more involved fun ideas. But I wasn’t doing those all the time.

[liverandonions]

I keep an album each year of ours. I’ll post the ones that are easy and always a hit!

[gretchenindisguise]

Swap kids undies for stockings hanging by the fireplace.
TP'ing the tree.
Hiding in the tree.
Every year she reads a stack of Christmas books to other stuffies.
If you have a stick of gum and a balloon hanging around - balloon partially filled by bum and empty gum wrapper with note "don't swallow the bubble gum" (we haven't done this one yet, it's on my list)
Upside down in a stocking

[liverandonions]

Candy cane zip line




“Bubble” bath










Christmas tree cakes last year, this year was brownies (elf is Harry)






My husband’s birthday is Christmas eve, use dry erase markers, and googly eyes






We have a santa pancake breakfast at school



All tangled in wrapping and bows


“Plant” Cheerios in a bowl of cocoa powder and the next day i put in the little chocolate frosted donuts




My favorite but it is tough, “elfies” everyone in the house has a pic taken on their device and the wallpaper changed - you have to get the angle right to make it look like the elf is taking it. Plus not wake anyone up lol

[eb777888]

liverandonions, You're the first person I thought of when I saw the title of this thread!

[hermione]

Easy but well-loved ones we’ve done:

[ellipses84]

Our elf loves Christmas things so you can usually find him in the tree, near the nativity, near presents, etc. We are very low key and use what we have around. If we have any activities or pre-Christmas gifts he brings them: i.e. hot chocolate to go cups to go look at Christmas lights, or a Christmas sweater for a party. I think tonight he’s going to hang on an over the door basketball hoop we have. I used a lot of toys as props. DS1 is in on the secret and usually he does it now. He usually ends up in a mason jar and clear Christmas tree candy jar we have.

The only thing elaborate thing I did last year was buy some M&Ms to put him in this dispenser DS2 already had. This year I got DS2 a little locking safe piggy bank so I’ll probably put some treats in it and have the elf bring it early.

[Aloe Vera]

How old are your kids? My 3.5 years old is really into it this year so we stepped up our game but it is still fairly easy to wow her with very little effort.
We've bought some Elf accessories on clearance over the years. My H bought a kit last year and he is having a blast.

ETA: this is the kit we got

[livinitup]

Our elf sat in the Christmas tree a lot, drove Barbie in her car, sat in chandeliers, loved the ice bucket in the freezer (reminded him of the North Pole), tore up the toilet roll in the bathroom, hid behind the toaster, sat on curtail poles, and jumped into empty mason jars (those can be moved because we weren’t “touching” him).

My DD loved, loved, loved finding that guy every morning.