What is it? The Elf on the Shelf® is a Christmas tradition centered around Scout Elves who fly to the North Pole each night. Scout Elves arrive at homes in a keepsake box set that features a storybook. The book explains that elves love to report to Santa to tell him about each day's activities!
Visit Santa's online adoption centre.
Parents, pull up Santa's online store, where all the magical creatures from the North Pole are available for adoption. After you pick a boy or girl elf, Santa will send your new helper straight to your home.
When does Elf on the Shelf come? The Elf on the Shelf website recommends your Elf arrive between November 24 through December 1. This is also known as Scout Elf Return week, a.k.a. the time when Santa's little helpers flee the North Pole and head out to the houses they'll be staying at until Christmas.
When you have your Elf on the Shelf arrive is all up to you. You can also just have your elf arrive with the letter only, how you have him come is all up to you. While you are printing this elf on the shelf welcome letter you might want to print out the Elf on the Shelf Rules Printable at the same time.
Santa advises that no family member touch their Elf on the Shelf, but he does describe a few rare instances when an adult may use tongs or potholders to help an elf in an urgent situation. Parents: read on to learn about special, few and far between cases where emergency help will be required.
Inside the box we have stamped the Welcome letter with the 'North Pole Elf Mail' postmark, so when you decide Elf arrives, your children will see it's authentic. Do I need one Elf per child or one per household? The choice is yours.
The "no-touch" rule may be harder for some kids to follow than others. For Elf on the Shelf magic to happen, the adults in the household will need to commit to moving the elf each night.
The Elf on the Shelf does come with a book that is intended to be read on his first night in your home every holiday season, but you can omit that or combine it with another fun celebration. This is a tradition that you can tweak to work best for your family!
A Scout Elf receives their Christmas magic after you name them, therefore it's safe to take your elf out of the box before they are named. If you have named your Scout Elf, don't worry! At night he or she will find their way out of the box using the Christmas magic they gained when you named them!
Your elf ate too many treats from Mrs. Claus' Sweet Shop™. It can happen to the best elf (or human) when so many tantalizing treats are floating around during the holidays! Your Scout Elf may need an extra day or two to digest his or her holiday treats and get back into tip-top flying shape before returning.
According to elf legend, the elf moves each night. Some mornings, though, kids might find themselves asking why the elf is still in its same place. Here are a few possible reasons that Santa's helper may not have found a new position in your home.
According to The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition, the night before Christmas, an elf's job comes to an end. On December 24, most Scout Elves say farewell to their families and fly back to the North Pole following Santa's sleigh. This way, they can help him begin preparing for the year ahead.
If your elf didn't move, they may be trying to communicate an important message to you! If your elf is accidentally touched, they may have just enough energy to get to the North Pole but not enough magic to create a whole new scene in your home.
Explain in the letter why he/she is coming to their house and what he is going to do. Grab the awesome Elf on the Welcome Shelf Letter that you can print out. Read the Elf on the Shelf Book. Once your elf arrives read the book to your kids, the book tells the whole story about the Elf.
They Only Move When Kids Are Sleep
Parents will want to set an alarm as a reminder to move the elf before their kids wake up each morning and avoid forgetting to do so.
Every night during this time, elves fly to the North Pole to report to the big guy, ya know, Santa, about the kids' naughty or niceness, then return to a new spot each morning.
Elves need to wait until everyone is asleep before they can move around. If there was too much activity around the house last night, perhaps your elf only had time to get to the North Pole and back, but not enough time to find a new position. Make sure you get to bed early tonight to help them out!
The Elf on the Shelf tradition can be started at any age, but most parents recommend waiting until your child is between the ages of 2 and 3. They claim it's the perfect sweet spot for children to appreciate and understand the elves' magic while establishing this family tradition at a young age.
An Elf for Christmas is just for Christmas. On Christmas Eve you can pack away Elf in his box until next year. Or as you tell the children – Elves need to go back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve to join their friends in sweeping up the leftover wrapping paper and start the toymaking for next year!
7. Children are not allowed to touch them. Elves are very fragile, and if they are touched by human children they lose their magic and ability to communicate with Santa.
The story in the book, written in rhyme, reveals that the elf doll is an emissary sent by Santa Claus to observe children and report back on their behavior for judgment. The elf cannot be touched or the magic will be broken; it is a silent observer, a CCTV camera with pointy ears.