Ok, parents…raise of hands… who hates Elf on the Shelf?!
While my kids count down the days that Zippy returns to our house, I have come to dread it. It is just one more thing to add to my never-ending holiday to-do list. And heaven forbid I not stage some elaborate mischief for Zippy to get into. In previous years Zippy has taken a bubble bath in marshmallows, drank syrup in the kitchen pantry, zip lined across the living room, and toilet papered the Christmas tree… just to name a few.
This year I am trying something different. If I have to set an alarm at 9:45 p.m. every night (which allows enough time to make sure both kids are fast asleep) to plot Zippy’s next charade then I am going to use it to my advantage.
My daughter has a loose tooth that she refuses to pull. It is ready to come out, but she just won’t pull it. Zippy been giving her a little encouragement to pull the tooth in order to hand it over to his friend, the Tooth Fairy. And my son is struggling with potty training. Zippy has given him some tips on all things #2 — think chocolate chips and a doll house potty.
And while Zippy has gotten into some typical antics, like doodling on our framed pictures with a marker, he has also been teaching my kids about kindness and the spirit of giving.
Two nights ago Zippy left a giant cardboard box in the middle of our living room with a note to fill it with old toys that my kids don’t use anymore. He said once the box was full, he would take it to kids that didn’t have fun toys to play with. I figured this request would be met with sadness over giving away not often used, but seemingly prized possessions or arguing over who had to give away more.
But I was shocked. Both kids loved the idea. Avery, my 6-year-old daughter, couldn’t wait to fill up the box and wanted to start sorting through toys immediately. Reed, my 2-year-old son, was a little more hesitant, but saw the excitement from his big sis and quickly jumped on board. He even learned a new word from the process: donate.
The kids enjoyed the lesson so much that they filled not one box, not two, not even three… EIGHT boxes sit in my living room right now, heaping with toys, clothes, shoes, coats and more that are all to be donated to Oasis Women’s Shelter.
So this season, I encourage you to rethink your Elf on the Shelf game. Yes, the Facebook posts and Pinterest pins of elves doing funny things are great. I’m not saying to take away the fun spirit of your family elf. But I do think you could take this opportunity to use your elf for a few lessons on kindness and how important it is to have a giving heart.
Here are some ideas to think about with your Elf on the Shelf:
1. Your elf can leave out fun new stationary and markers for your kids to make notes for family members that live out of town.
2. We’ve all seen the elf making a snow angel out of flour or powdered sugar. You can do this, but also set out all ingredient to make cookies, brownies or other yummy treats. Package them up and deliver to neighbors.
3. Stage the elf with a jar filled with pieces of paper that say things about your child that makes them special. Leave instructions for your child to do the same thing and give to someone they love.
4. Place the elf doing something funny with your pet’s toys or food and include a gift card to a pet store. Encourage your child to use the gift card to purchase food for the animal shelter or humane society.
5. Have your elf reading a book and beside him or her leave all the material to design their own book marks. Then take the book marks to the library and hide them inside of books on the shelf for the next reader to find and keep.