12 Days of Elf on the Shelf.

Happy Almost December, readers!

Tis the season to swear at the little Elf who has yet again made an appearance in an attempt to 'help' our festive spirits grow.

We do our countdown to Christmas a little different to most parents. As we live in the UAE but travel back home to the UK for Christmas, we countdown to our flights back home rather than the big countdown to C-day!

If you're like me and completely lose all imagination at 10pm because you had forgotten to stage the Elf in some crazy way, then boy do we have some ideas for you.

That's right, I said 'we'. For the first time on The Anxious Mother, I am collaborating with another mummy blogger.

We will both be sharing our top 12 ideas in the hope of minimizing hair loss on our parent readers.

To see Ayse's top 12 ideas, click the link and head on over to Arepops Blog.

But wait!! Before you do that, here's mine;

1. The Giving of Advent Calendars

This idea is perfect for day 1, an Elf presenting the chocolate filled calendar of joy to your little monsters (because a magical Elf wasn't enough to hype them up!)

2. That Naughty Little Elf.

Not going to lie, this gave my OCD brain a complete meltdown but it was so much fun and absolutely hilarious to the kids.

Go crazy with snow spray on a window/mirror, maybe your Elf has a little sense of humor that only parents will understand or maybe, he just wants to draw cute snowmen & Christmas scenes.

3. What has he gotten himself into?

Naughty little Elf has obviously gotten himself into a spot of trouble with a team of Lego men here. I'm not sure exactly sure what he did as he doesn't speak to me (rude, I know) but there are clearly a bunch of yellow headed men that are not too happy with him!

4. Whilst The Kids Sleep.

I think my husband had more fun with this than any other staged scenes. We actually videoed our little Elf riding on the remote controlled Transformer and left a note with the Elf, telling the kids to check for evidence on the iPad.

5. I See You.

Simple evening if you really have no creativity left in you one day. Hide the Elf in the Christmas tree. Maybe he missed home?

6. What would you like for Christmas?

This was a simple one too but helped our Christmas shopping. Leave a note with the Elf, asking for the kids to write to Santa.

For us, the next morning we made it clear that Elf had used his magic to send the letters.

7. SNOWBALL FIGHT!

I'm afraid this is one that I wished I had photographic evidence of but ... I'm out of marshmallows!

Set up a marshmallow barrier for Elf and a secondary character, with a marshmallow in each characters hands and others strewn across the scene, it will look like the most epic snowball fight happened whilst you all slept.

8. What a Mess!

Did Elf get bored in the night? I think so. This clearly has no meaning behind it and even though it means more clean up for you ... it's so much fun.

9. Midnight Snack.

No treats before bed right? not for the Elf. Make sure to get rid of the evidence (even if it means you have to gain a few calories!)

10. Making Friends.

Elves need friends too you know. Set-up a cute tea party scene with your kids toys and your naughty little friend.

11. Christmas Tree Treats.

Another simple idea, yet a hit with the kids. Little Elfie has brought some treats for the tree. The kids can have fun hanging them but even more fun eating them.

12. Where is he?

A fun game of hide and seek. Not recommended on a school morning. Leave clues for the kids to find their Elfie friend, maybe he has a treat for them once they are successful?

So that's it for now, do make sure to head over the Arepops blog, through the link at the top of this post.

With love,

The Anxious Mother x