What is The Elf on the Shelf®?
Scout Elves help Santa manage his naughty and nice lists. Elves are adopted by families and fly back to the North Pole every night to report to Santa about the daily adventures. Your Scout Elf will return in a different spot the next morning. My girls love running to see where our elf has moved to each morning!
#1 Rule: Don’t Touch the Elf
We continue to follow this rule every year. If Scout Elves are touched they can lose their magic. Your box set will arrive with a special Scout Elf and book sent from the North Pole. You are allowed to touch your elf to remove it from the packaging, but once you name your Scout Elf, the elf receives it Christmas magic and should not be touched anymore.
If for some reason your Scout Elf is touched, there are few things you can do to help your elf get their magic back:
- Write a note to your elf or Santa apologizing for touching your elf. This is the best way to help revive your Scout Elf.
- Sprinkle a little cinnamon next to your elf! Cinnamon is like vitamins for your elf.
- Sing a Christmas carol with your family. Elves love Christmas carols!
Sometimes your Scout Elf may fall down and look like he needs help. Just let him be or try leaving the room for a little while and he will appear back in his original spot.
Scout Elf Return Week (Nov. 24 – Dec. 1)
We are gearing up for Scout Elf Return Week! This weeklong celebration is when most families welcome back their Scout Elves, or adopt a new North Pole helper. Our Scout Elf arrives on December 1st and leaves on Christmas Eve night, hitching a ride back on Santa’s sleigh.
We are throwing a welcome home party for our Scout Elf this year! The Scout Elf Party Pack is available at Walmart and includes everything you need for a festive party – plates, cups, hats, treat bags, cupcake toppers, table decorations, games and more!
Scout Elves are Real
Scout Elves and Elf Pets® have feelings! They should not be poked with sharp objects that could hurt them, and they should not be put near open flames or water where they could be injured. Elf Pets® Reindeer help Santa’s sleigh fly on Christmas Eve, so while they are meant to be loved and hugged, we should be very careful not to hurt them.
Scout Elves are ALWAYS Nice
I’m so excited to see how our elf will use the Scout Elves at Play® kit to surprise us! Scout Elves at Play® is an interactive kit that features 15 unique elf-sized tools and an idea book. While they can be mischievous, Scout Elves always use the tools to play nice.
What if my Scout Elf Doesn’t Move?
If the elf hasn’t moved, they are probably just returning to one of their favorite spots! Sometimes Scout Elves get comfortable in one area and may return to the same spot day after day.
How Many Scout Elves Come to Visit?
Usually there is one elf per family. However, sometimes one elf per child is needed. Every family is different and all of your family’s elves can be added to Santa’s Scout Elf registry.
My girls are 8 and 6 years old and they can’t wait for our Scout Elf, Rudolph, to return! Last year was our first year with our Elf Pets® Reindeer, and I can’t wait to see what new and exciting additions will show up this year!
Santa Claus sends Scout Elves all over the world! To find an adoption center near you, please visit the Elf on the Shelf website!
I’m so happy my kids do not want to do this. I know I would forget to move it or my husband would let it slip! lol
I feel ya, I was against it for a while too. Then we adopted our first elf and I couldn’t imagine Christmas without him. My girls really look forward to it every year, and it’s actually a lot of fun for my husband and me.
We have one, but we are allowed to touch it! We have an extra special elf that allows this. It’s funny though, when my daughter’s friends come over and sees my daughter touching it, they freak out, ha.
I think the thing is rather freaky, but she likes it, so it stays..
We have some friends that have a touchable elf too! My girls got to hug and kiss ours once when he arrived and again just before he left. I told my girls that every elf has slightly different rules for each and every family.
We’ve never done Elf on in the shelf before! It looks fun to do though. I think that really just the imagination going in kids and I am all for that.
I know this was a big hit for several years. Didn’t know if it was still popular. Guess it is.
We love this tradition. We’ve had an elf since our son was 2 years old. My hubs gets really into finding new spots to hide him.
I wanted to get an Elf on the Shelf last year but was to late. I think it is going to be such a fun tradition to start this year. I will have to go pick one up this weekend.
‘Tis the season! We’ve been doing the elf for about 6 years now and my kids LOVE it.
Aww, there’s a lot of fun holiday potential with the Scout elves and their accessories! I’m liking the Elf Pets!
I can’t believe that there are Elf pets now. That’s such a wonderful idea. Kids most love them.
By the time I knew about Elf on a Shelf, my son was too old to enjoy it really. By then his friends at school had already spoiled the holiday surprises and he was just a tad too old. I still want to get one though, more for my enjoyment than anything
We were past this and kind of glad. I think it would be fun but so many just try to outdo others. My niece does this but makes Elf do good things, not mischieveous.
I think this is such a fun tradition for younger kids. I wish we had started doing this a few years ago.
For years I never wanted to participate in elf on the shelf but have really thought about doing it this year. It seems like a lot of fun for the kiddos.
I have never done this with my kids but I know a friend who always does it every year. It sounds fun though.
Just what I wanted to read. I have been playing with the thought of doing Elf on the Shelf (adult style) this year. I’m officially convinced to give it a go.
can I have a elf pet I really want one cause I have a elf named Randy
If the elf arrives on Christmas as a Santa’s present, when should the elf return to the North Pole?
My grandson wants to know how old you have to be to move the Elf?