25 Elf on the Shelf ideas
Quick, fun set-ups to keep the Christmas magic going, tried and tested by our elves.
Free · 1 to 25 December
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Elf Arrival Breakfast
Welcome your elf back from the North Pole with a festive breakfast table and a letter from Santa.
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North Pole arrivals
An unexpected passenger has arrived by shopping bag. Check the luggage label to find out where your December guest has travelled from.
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Marshmallow Bubble Bath
Your elf takes a cosy soak in a mug of mini marshmallows. Two minutes to set up and a very silly sight at breakfast.
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Elf Zip Line
Give your elf a flying start with a string zip line and a candy cane hook. Two chairs turn a corner of the sitting room into a North Pole adventure course.
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Toast by moonlight
Someone has taken a moon-shaped bite out of breakfast. The missing moon is still on the chopping board.
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The Great Flour Snow Angel
Your elf has mistaken the kitchen worktop for a snowy field and made a spectacular flour snow angel. Five minutes to set up, with plenty of evidence left at the scene.
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Portraits wearing mittens
Teddy has agreed to sit for a portrait. Judging by the drawing, holding a pencil in mittens takes practice.
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The satsuma solar system
A satsuma has become the sun in a solar system small enough to fit on a placemat.
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Slipper sleeper service
The overnight slipper train has pulled in. Its first-class passenger has even brought a flannel duvet.
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The biscuit tin band
The elf has discovered that an empty biscuit tin makes a splendid drum. A second tin gives the band a bass section.
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A very small art theft
A priceless portrait of a carrot has disappeared from the shoebox gallery. The thief has left a suspiciously rectangular clue.
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Snowball curling club
The table is hosting a curling final. The elf has borrowed a pastry brush and the snowballs are made from scrap paper.
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The bookmark rescue
Teddy is stranded at the foot of Mount Bedtime. Luckily the elf has packed an unusually long bookmark.
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Elf-scale estate agents
Two cosy properties have come on the market. Both have excellent handles and room for an imaginary mouse.
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The biscuit cutter beast
The elf has invented a biscuit beast. Its peculiar outline is the recipe for drawing another one.
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The upside-down weather desk
The forecast is sunny, but someone has put the sky in upside down. The elf needs a new weather presenter.
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Winter wool maze
Breakfast is at the other end of a winding wool trail. Two mugs have made the elf’s journey considerably longer.
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The cardboard box opera
The smallest opera house in town has sold out both seats. The star is about to sing about something deeply important, such as toast.
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The wrapping paper detective
One parcel, three scraps and a serious wrapping-paper investigation. Which roll did the elf use?
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The teaspoon ski jump
The cutlery drawer has entered the winter games. Two teaspoons are lined up for the smallest ski jump in the house.
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Christmas colour post
Letters have arrived without addresses. Luckily, the elf sorts the Christmas post entirely by colour.
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The family silhouette studio
A dinosaur has grown to twice its size overnight. The elf knows the trick and has left the studio ready for another sitting.
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The backwards bookshop
The elf has opened a shop with all the book titles hidden. Customers have to recognise a favourite from a single clue.
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Paper chain codebreakers
There’s a glitch in the paper chain. The workshop needs a pattern spotter to work out where the colours went wrong.
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The Christmas Day pocket post
The elf has one last delivery before heading home. A little paper heart in a coat pocket holds a goodbye worth keeping.
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