What mischief does your Elf on a shelf get into?

[StephMK]

My kids don't believe anymore but haven't totally admitted yet. I think we will have to do this to add a little excitement to our season. They will get a kick out of all the mischief he'll create. Thanks for all the awesome ideas! I look forward to setting up the tricks for the kids to find.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

It may be early, but my little two are already asking if Snowflake will be coming this year. I groan and act grouchy, because I'm the one who has to clean up after his antics, but they think it's hysterical. He was really bad his first year, but then the second year, our friend's elf talked to Snowflake, and she's very proud of the fact that Snowflake behaved better, once her elf stepped in.

Some of the shenanigans at our house:

Decorating the tree with underwear (and socks, a different year)
Feeding Christmas candy to the cats
Decorating the toilet with Christmas lights
Taking my car through the McDonald's drive-through and getting a Happy Meal, parking on the lawn when he got home
Skiing on candy canes
Zip-lining from the tree to the ground
Reading books, making puzzles, watching DVDs, playing board games
Eating cereal with maple syrup on it
When my youngest broke his arm, Snowflake wore a green cast, too.

We have fun with it. My older two (16 and 14) have fun helping to make magic for my little guys (8 and 5). You know I only have a few more years of this type of magic, so I want to make some good memories.

 

[kldmom2000]

Here's a link to some past threads from previous years with their mischief Looking for some new ideas for our 4th year with our elves.....
2008:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1961457&highlight=elf

2009:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2321254&highlight=elf

2010:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2603404&highlight=elf

 

[KristinU]

Here's a link to some past threads from previous years with their mischief Looking for some new ideas for our 4th year with our elves.....
2008:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1961457&highlight=elf

2009:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2321254&highlight=elf

2010:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2603404&highlight=elf

Great going digging up the old threads! I even saw where I got the idea for making a calendar, brilliant ideas here on the DIS! I updated our calendar with some ideas from this thread and the old ones, and kept the ones that DS loved for repeating this year. In case anyone wnats to snag a copy and use it or modify it for their elf, it is here: 2011 Elf Calendar

Now we just have to wait for CC to arrive

 

[Kanga+2Roos]

Wow KristenU I am so impressed...very organized! Definitely the thing to do so you're not in a bind half-asleep trying to come up with something! Thanks to all of you for some great new ideas--very creative group we have here! Love the green milk in the fridge & light saber fight! This will be our 3rd year for the elf brothers & I love having new things to mix in with the classics!

Here are some things Elfie & Billie did that I haven't seen yet:

One sat on remote control car, other ran controls
Used window markers to draw pictures/leave message for Santa
Decorated bathroom mirror with Christmas lights
Made Christmas tree shape on wall out of Nerf darts--constuction paper star
Tried to catch goldfish with pole made of straw/dental floss/paperclip
Made sugar angels out of white sugar (much easier to wipe off than flour)
Sat in a sleigh made out of a shoe box with stuffed animals lined up in front
Found at computer typing email to Santa (naughty report)
Sleeping under the Christmas tree in a zhuzhu pet sleeping bag
Snowball fight with cottonballs--cottonballs all over the place!

One thing I will never do again...toothpaste drawing on the mirror. That was a nightmare to clean off! I am truly jealous of those of you with sound sleepers that can pull of things in the kids bedrooms--I can't imagine painting toenails when their sleeping & not get caught!


Keep the ideas coming!

 

[Patience]

These ideas are awesome! I am making a list of things I will need: goldfish, green fingernail polish, mini marshmallows, small string of lights for the toilet, etc.

Keep the ideas coming!

 

[KristinU]

...Made Christmas tree shape on wall out of Nerf darts--constuction paper star...

... I am truly jealous of those of you with sound sleepers that can pull of things in the kids bedrooms--I can't imagine painting toenails when their sleeping & not get caught!...

Love the Nerf dart tree idea! Finally, something constructive to do with all of those things

And yeah, we're lucky with a very heavy sleeper. And last year when CC painted all of our toenails he even did the dog's! She was a lab, and was a geriatric 14 at the time...and slept every bit as sound as our DS, LOL! (sadly we said goodbye to her in June and now we have a new puppy...I hope our elf doesn't get gobbled by puppy teeth!)

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I was talking to DS14 about the painted toenail idea this morning--obviously, he's in on the whole thing. At first, he was vehemently opposed to getting HIS nails painted--then I pointed out that it would make the whole thing so much funnier.

To address the "sleeping kid" issue--I plan to do this on a weekend night, when the little guys ask to sleep in our bed. Then, when DH carries back the sleeping children to their own beds, would be a good time to paint their nails. Also, this would give DS14 a day or two to remove the nail polish, before he has to go to school (and gym class).

We've also had Snowflake cut out, you guessed it, paper snowflakes, and he's messed with my cricut, cutting out holiday shapes. I do find it much easier to have, if not a calendar, at least a list of ideas, so you can whip one out fairly easily.

 

[book_junkie]

Anyone have ideas for alternative elves? My sister-in-law tried this last year (thanks to her mom) with her kids, but the youngest one got scared silly by the elf that came with the set:

And there's a twitter for it, if anyone's interested...
http://twitter.com/#!/elfontheshelf

 

[kldmom2000]

This is who we have:

http://www.amazon.com/Plush-Santas-...JSDS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1319057243&sr=8-2

We got him 4 years ago and then introduced his sister as well:

http://www.amazon.com/Plush-Santas-...L6QA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319058571&sr=8-1

I first learned of the elves here on the Dis, but the Elf on the Shelf one freaked me out as well....

 

[KristinU]

This is who we have:

http://www.amazon.com/Plush-Santas-...JSDS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1319057243&sr=8-2

We got him 4 years ago and then introduced his sister as well:

http://www.amazon.com/Plush-Santas-...L6QA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319058571&sr=8-1

I first learned of the elves here on the Dis, but the Elf on the Shelf one freaked me out as well....

That's the guy we have too. It's so funny because I was going to say "that's CC!" After a few years I feel like I "know" him.

 

[Twingle]

We've done lots of the same ideas already posted, also:

Watched the "Elf" movie and had popcorn
Made Elf breakfast (marshmallows, candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup)
Played Scrabble where are the words were Christmas related
Took the car to get donuts and left it parked crooked in the garage
Baked a cake, left the kitchen a mess
Went skiing down our stairs on tongue depressor skis and pipe cleaner poles
We have a candy jar, I had all the teachers and staff in my school save their candy wrappers, layed the jar on it's side and had the candy wrappers all over the place
Sewed bells onto random things in our house - I just tacked them on, very easy to snip off
Packed my kids lunches with nothing but junk and soda

Love this tradition every year, and I've gotten some excellent ideas from the Dis Boards!

 

[Graciesmom77]

I am ordering ours through Elf-Magic.com. The Elf on a Shelf ones are SCARY! Like something that would turn its head and tell you he was going to kill you scary!

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I forget where we got ours--maybe Amazon? But, he's stuffed and sillier looking than the one you get with the book. I didn't care for that one, either.

I like the idea of sewing bells on stuff--easy enough to do. Christmas Scrabble would work for us, too.

 

[monkey30]

I figure it won't be much longer before my 6 yo doesn't believe in Santa, Easter Bunny, etc so we are having fun with it now! yeah, it takes a bit of work, so we usually do general hiding 6 days a week and 1 day a week of mischief.

Great ideas everyone!!

We have this issue with DS9 he has started to question, we simply say if you dont believe u dont recieve! and leave it at that


This is a great idea, I will have to look around a bit. We moved this past August, so maybe the elf can come with the house??? As a protector waiting for a special family!

 

[Soarin_04]

Our elf's name is Elfis Parsley, and he's got his own (kind of inactive) facebook page, which really blew our 13 year old son's mind when he asked to "friend" him last year! Then all of his friends wanted to "friend" Elfis as well. If you look up his page, there's a list of the antics he's engaged in in the past two years.

We got ours at T.J. Maxx for something like $6. A lot less scary than some of the ones I've seen, I think.

Now that the boys are 13 and 11, they know Elfis is us, but now they each take turns having Elfis do something. Last year, they had Elfis make us breakfast -- everything was red and green. It's fun, and they're already looking forward to our annual Christmas Lights with cocoa run, compliments of Elfis.

 

[mom2allison01]

This is who we have:

http://www.amazon.com/Plush-Santas-...JSDS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1319057243&sr=8-2

We got him 4 years ago and then introduced his sister as well:

http://www.amazon.com/Plush-Santas-...L6QA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319058571&sr=8-1

I first learned of the elves here on the Dis, but the Elf on the Shelf one freaked me out as well....

We too have these exact elves!! Jingle and Belle!

These are some things we have done....

*Lounging on a deflated beach ball in the bath tub with very shallow water.
* Having coffee with the other stuffed animals of the house at our dining room table (there were empty coffee cups and a half filled coffee pot along with scattered pretzels and marshmallows on the table)
* Sitting at the computer planning a Disney Trip (this is what we did the day before they left, the dates plugged in were after Christmas to the following year Thanksgiving. The elves then surprised my kids with a visit on our Disney vacation this past summer! They loved it!)
* Hanging in the freezer
*Playing Epic Mickey on the wii

Keep the ideas coming! I am saving every one to use for future use!

Melissa

 

[monkey30]

I am checking for ideas!!

We bought Lanny from Prep and Landing, its hard finding Elf on a Shelf in Canada without spending big bucks!
He was mailed to the kids and they receive him today!! So fun!!

 

[Tarah14]

My cousin is doing this with her boys. One night the elves drew mustaches and beards on the kids pictures hanging on the wall with dry erase markers. The pictures were really cute and it wiped right off the glass.

 

[htmom]

We have Jensen and Gloria. (elf-magic elves) they get into some crazy trouble! Last night Jensen took a WHOLE BAG of fiberfill and made a tobaggan ride down a chair! Then rode down it in a shoe with a box lid under it. Gloria tp'ed the Christmas tree the other night. They also bring little gifts every once in awhile. Jensen has even decorated our tree in our kids undies. LOL