I know it’s a bit early for Elf on a Shelf but lots of people have started following my Elf on a Shelf Pinterest board over the last week so I figured people might be starting to plan their elf activities a little earlier this year!
I love the idea of Elf on a Shelf at Christmas (although last year a few people did get a bit too elf obsessed ;-)) but I absolutely don’t love the idea of paying £25+ for a doll that looks more than a little scary and would more than likely give me nightmares and a book that explains what Elf on a Shelf is all about.
This is what the original Elf on a Shelf looks like:
(You can buy this little fella from Amazon if you want the real deal – just click on the photo *affiliate link*)
It looks evil doesn’t it?
I wanted a cheaper version so I was over the moon when the very lovely Mary from Keynko knitted our very own elf for us. Not only was it cheaper, our version has much more character than the mass produced scary elves and he’s unique to us.
Jingle (original name I know) ‘arrived’ on December 1st last year and stayed with us until he left with Santa on Christmas Eve night. He got up to lots of mischief and the kids really enjoyed having him around and got into the spirit of making him do mischievous things.
You can buy cuddly elves from shops like Tesco and Asda for under five pounds usually but now that elf on a shelf is getting more popular, they seem to sell out much quicker than they used to. I’d have a look in shops like Home Bargains and B&M to see if they have some sort of elf you could use but as a last resort, try eBay as there are hundreds on there. You can pick one up for under £10 and even though that’s more than you would normally pay for a cuddly toy, it’s still so much cheaper than the elf on a shelf sets.
You can even make your own if you’re creative enough, I saw a set in Hobbycraft last month to make your own Christmas elf for £3 but I think it would be too small for this though.
You’ve got a couple of weeks before you need your elf so you should be able to find a bargain somewhere!
Once you have your elf sorted you need to write a letter to the children explaining why he’s staying with you. This is my version and you’re more than welcome to use it if you’d like to. I usually do a nice Christmas background or border in picmonkey and then select add text. You can just copy and paste this in to the add text but and just change the bits you want to change!
Dear Miss Frugal and Master Frugal,
I hope you’re both excited that Christmas is almost here!
As you know, this is my busiest time of the year as I’m here in the North Pole finishing off all of the toys for the boys and girls around the world. Because you’ve both been good so far this year, I’ve sent you one of my favourite elves to stay with you until Christmas Eve.
Jingle is going to watch over you and let me know if you’re being naughty or nice so I want you to be on your best behaviour. As long as you continue to be good then I will be delivering you some lovely presents ready for you to open on Christmas morning.
I must tell you this though, Jingle can be a little bit cheeky and he might get up to a little mischief while he’s staying with you. He likes to play hide and seek and he’s always finding new places to hide and new messes to make so I hope you enjoy looking for him every day and tidying up the mess he might make!
Please leave him on your Christmas tree before you go to bed on Christams Eve and I’ll take him back to the North Pole with me until next year when he’ll be back to stay with you again – if you’ll have him!
Lots of Love,
Santa
And for those of you who will be joining in with this year’s elf on a shelf, have a look at my Pinterest board for lots of cute and funny ideas:
Follow Cass bailey’s board Elf on a shelf ideas on Pinterest.
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