Christmas Elf Ideas
A Christmas elf is a promise you make in November and keep every night until Christmas. That is twenty-four mornings. These are the ideas that survive the arithmetic: quick, funny, made from things you already own, and forgiving of the night you fall asleep first.
- Twenty setups, five minutes eachEasy elf ideas that take five minutesTwenty setups built from what is already in your kitchen, sorted by how tired you are.
- Funny without upsetting anyoneFunny elf ideas that get a real laughThe setups that land, and the line that separates funny from the ones that upset a four year old.
- The first night sets the toneArrival night, done properlyThe first morning sets the tone for all of December. How to land it without building a film set.
The one rule worth keeping
The elf is a character your child is building in their head, and everything it does should fit that character. An elf that makes a small mess is funny. An elf that ruins something a child cares about is not, and it is very hard to walk back at seven in the morning on a school day.
The second rule is lower than you think. Do not compete. The setups people photograph are the exceptional ones, which is exactly why they got photographed. A cereal box, a marshmallow and thirty seconds is the actual job.
A note on names
You will see this tradition called by a brand name. That product belongs to another company and the Bureau has nothing to do with it. Everything here works with whatever elf is already sitting on your shelf, shop bought or homemade.
When the elf writes back
A note from the elf is the cheapest upgrade in the whole tradition, and it is the part children keep. If you want the same thing with Santa’s name at the bottom, the Bureau writes personalized letters from Santa and you read every word before you pay for it. You can read three real ones without giving us anything.
Props, miniatures and the small things that make a setup work are in the Supply Office.
While you are here: the letter itself
The Bureau writes personalized letters from Santa. You tell it two or three true things about your child, read the whole letter on screen, and only pay if you love it.
See what Santa writes