Elf on the Shelf Care Package

Our Elf on the Shelf didn’t show up until the middle of December last year. That didn’t leave any time to prepare for his arrival. This year, we are planning ahead to make sure our Elf on the Shelf experience is extra special. (You know how much l like to plan ahead)!

I started asking M and M (8 & 6 years old) some questions about their elf. Where is he now? When will he come back? How will he get here? What will make his travels more pleasant?

Together, we decided to sit down and create a little Elf on the Shelf care package… to make sure he has everything he needs for the long trip. Family-creating parties are one of my favorite things to do. We sit around our creative table and chat while we work. The best part is I can see the process that went into the final product… and usually it’s the process that shines!

If you are brand new to the Elf on the Shelf, here are some Elf on the Shelf Names to inspire your naming process.

Our Elf on the Shelf Care Package

•  Snacks and a drink.
• A scarf and mittens.
• A notebook for writing about his journey.
• A bag of coal (hmmm… I guess Little M thinks he’ll need that?)
• A bag of art supplies. Little M insisted that everyone does art when they travel. Wonder where she gets that from… hee hee.
• A card and gifts.

I think our elf will be very happy to receive this special care package. Don’t you? What would you add in?

Little M also thought he would like a place to come home to. That will cover at least one night of placement!

Elf on the Shelf Prepping

• Peanut Blossom has made Elf on the Shelf planning super easy by providing a printable Elf Planning calendar. (Just make sure those early readers don’t find it!)
• Homeschool of 1 has an Elf on the Shelf Arrival Letter. There are five different versions! On a similar note, you can be extra prepared by getting one of the free printable elf goodbye letters from Mimosas and Motherhood.
• Dirty Diaper Laundry shared how she altered her Elf to make him easier to pose. Her first Elf Hack makes him bendy and grippy. Her second Elf Hack adds magnets. (She put the magnets on the outside, but I might try stuffing small magnets inside the gloves. Hmmm, are my sewing skills good enough for that?)
• I already know there will be days that I completely forget to move the Elf… Sweet C Designs uses a special card (which she made into a printable… so nice) for times that the Elf gets touched. I’m going to use it to cover my “moving” mistake instead.
• You’ll notice that I did not ever call our elf by name. That is because none of us can remember. I’m reluctant to rename him because it may be written down and stored at the bottom of the Christmas stuff with the elf. A smarter move would have been to save it on my computer or write in this year’s calendar. How do you keep track of your elf’s name? Or do you have a better memory than us?

Don’t have an Elf yet? You can get one right here — Elf on the Shelf. (This is an affiliate link, if you purchase from this link, you are helping to support Confidence Meets Parenting! Thanks.)

What special Elf on the Shelf moments are you excited about?