Not a fan of the mess the Elf on the Shelf can make? Start the tradition of The Kindness Elf. An elf who helps family members serve one another.
ELF OF THE SHELF
Are you a fan of Elf on the Shelf?
My kids have begged to have an Elf on the Shelf…but I just couldn’t bring myself to adopt one into the family. The Holiday Season is crazy busy and I just didn’t need “ONE MORE THING” to worry about.
The tooth fairy has a hard enough time finding her way to our home and I just knew that the Elf would suffer terribly with neglect and forgetfulness. I also don’t love the idea of an elf making messes and causing mischief like some people are doing. Heaven knows that this family 0f 7 has enough of that to deal with already! I needed a tradition that I didn’t have to worry about every day…you know…one more thing on my plate. I wanted a way to incorporate getting the kids involved and them “helping” the elf everyday…rather than just myself!
So, I decided to give the Elf on the Shelf a try…but with a twist.
Meet Ellie…our KINDNESS elf. Ellie showed up at our house on December 1…and instead of arriving with a mess, like most Elf’s on the Shelf…Ellie cleaned up one of the girls rooms. This girl’s room had a rough weekend and Ellie whipped it back into shape.
ELF
Then waited patiently for the girl to come home from school. This made it so that this girl’s mom didn’t have to get after the girl to get her room cleaned after school…which was a great kindness indeed. The girl was happy and the mom was happy, which makes everyone happy and able to enjoy the happy feeling of the Christmas Season.
Now this girl gets to “help” Ellie by serving someone else in the family. I think I am really going to enjoy having Ellie visit. The kids are really excited that Ellie has come to visit too. Who knows…we may invite her to be here to stay with us permanently.
CHRISTMAS PRINTABLES
I created a couple of printables for Ellie to leave for the recipient of her kindness. One for a girl elf, like Ellie and another one for a boy elf…depending on which elf you have!
If you would like to host a kindness elf in your home, you can download the printables to use if you would like.
Elf on the Shelf: Kindness Elf Printables
Looking for last minute Elf on the Shelf Ideas? Tired of coming up with creative ideas for your Christmas Elf? Check out our list of 100 Elf on the Shelf Ideas! We are also sharing a fun and festive Elf on the Shelf Printable Kit! Great printable to enhance the fun this year!
You can find the list HERE!
CHRISTMAS PLANNER
Do You Have A Busy Holiday Season? Get Organized With Our Christmas Planner And Download Our Christmas Planner Printables To Keep You Organized this year!
You can find the planner printables HERE!
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What a great idea!
Thanks Katherine!
where can I get Ellie?
I found mine on Amazon a while ago. You may still be able to find one there or you can use any elf you would like.
Where did you find your elf?
This cuter version of the elf I’ve seen at Costco
Thanks for sharing that! I know that will be helpful to some! I have been avoiding COSTCO…hehe…I always spend way too much there…although…Target is not much safer for me which is where I picked this elf up! :)
I picked her up at Target. They also have the boy version!
Great idea to add on! Although I will say, as a host of two elves with two children, I have never agreed nor seen the reasoning behind a “naughty” elf. I think it is absurd to have an elf that is watching for good behavior act inappropriately. Our elves simply move around, stage play with Barbies, etc. No nonsense. I think I will add your idea though! I love the gratitude and pay-it-forward aspect!
Good point Michelle. That really doesn’t make sense if they are there to watch for good behavior! LOL
That’s the bet ever! My children are grown but I wanted the elf here for Christmas. I don’t think I could keep up
with the mischief either but my children would have loved it. This is the best twist and you don’t have to keep
the elf busy. She does that all on her own. You’re a great mom!
You are so sweet. I have some moments :)…but really am just a mom trying to teach my kids good things. This really came about because I knew I was not on top of things enough to participate in the traditional elf on the shelf activities. Thanks for the sweet comment! xo
This is a great idea! We were gifted an elf but I’ve never pulled it out of its box because I’m not a fan… Like you said, one more tong to worry about. Plus it puts focus on Santa every day instead of the real reason. My oldest recently found the darn elf and wants to do it… Maybe this is a good compromise. Thank you!
Ha! I just knew it wasn’t in my personality to have to remember that everyday and my kids would seriously be wondering what was up. The tooth fairy struggles at our house! :)
I love this idea. Way better than the ugly elf on the shelf. So any suggestions on where to find an elf that is cute, like yours?
I might just use the elf tickets, and have the kids collect them in a manger before Christmas.
Thank you so much for sharing your talents!
Oh! I love the idea of having them collect the cards!! I found this elf at Target. If I remember right she was $12.99 or so and came by herself without a book. There were also boy elves.
I love this idea, Amy! Going to move to this after this season since next year all my kiddos can participate. Thanks for sharing all your ideas :)
Thanks Sherry! Yes…it is something that is easier to do with older kids! xo
Great idea! We have an elf like that…as the originals are creepy!!! And my daughter can cuddle him and hold him, and be her reminder to be kind, caring and polite. The only thing “Eddie” does is fly somewhere new in the house at night when he comes back from the north pole. None of these messes that other elves make….I never understood that concept, you want your child to behave but the elf can write in lipstick on the mirror
I agree…silly little things can be fun! I love that my kids can hold her too.
I saw this cute little Elf Yesterday at Barns N Noble. She is so sweet. I love this idea sooooo much. Looking forward to all the good things. So happy :)
Thanks Debby!
I love this idea…and it actually sounds do-able!
Thanks Jana! I am all about the do-able…especially this time of year.
Love this! Would also like to see other ideas you come up with for the elf! Thinking ours could put away laundry for my 5 year old.. but the ideas stop there lol! Thanks for sharing!
Haha! A laundry elf would be amazing! We are drowning in laundry! I bet my kids don’t choose that as a “service” for Ellie to do…So far there has been a lot of bed making and room cleaning. One person did the other’s dishes though one night!
I love this idea. We have an elf, but it is more like a treasure hunt to find her. My daughter is only 2 and she LOVES trying to find her every morning. When she is older and I have more kids I will do this because I love incorporating service at this time of year into everything.
I LOVE the treasure hunt idea for the younger kids. Yes…my version would be a lot harder to incorporate for really young children.
LOVE this, Amy!!
Thanks so much Kristyn! xo
Sorry. I find this post incredibly annoying. The elf on the shelf does not have to make messes and cause mischief. That is up to what ever family they live with. Somehow you have made it better? Or redone it? Whatever.
I am not sure how or why you find this annoying. I am just sharing why I do not like the mischevious elf on the shelf. And yes…I am stating how I am doing it for my family. Not putting down anyone else’s choice. Take it or leave it…to each their own. I don’t find it annoying that people have elves that cause mischief or leave them comments. Somehow I feel we are agreeing about the fact that everyone can choose how to live their lives. When I find something I don’t agree with…I just move on. Have a great day!
Amy, this is a great way to use the elf on the shelf. Growing up we had a service elf, that did about the same thing. I have since acquired an elf myself and am going to introduce him to my kids this weekend, but wasn’t sure how to do that. You have given me a great idea, thank you!
Love this twist! Do you have an arrival/introductory letter to explain the elf?
I love your idea, and we’ll be incorporating it! Here in Quebec, elves are a new thing, and kids have to set up a trap to catch one. We were very much against the idea of having one, so we tried our darnest for the idea not to work. One night, the cat ended up trapped under a laundry basket. The following day, the elf ate the candy (that is supposed to be used as a bait) but didn’t activate the trap. Both nights, E left a note asking him/her to clean up her room, and that he/she would be rewarded.
Shortly after that, I read this. I’m now happy to report that the kids have found a way to trap the elf at Mom’s and will be bringing it here tonight. Little do they know that they have an old and wise elf that isn’t as interested in making messes. That is where your idea will come into play. I will also be buying a book for the elf (which I’ve nicknamed Ellie, in hommage to yours, until I know what the kids have called him/her), so that whoever gets elfed can write what good deed he has done for someone else in it (or in the case of the young one, who can’t read just now, make a drawing we’ll stick in there). That way the elf can bring the book back to the North Pole and show Santa. And next year, the elf ticket might just say that our elf’s good deed marks the start of a kindness Christmas chain, so that the person who does the good deed can give his/her card to someone else, who will hopefully keep it going.
Thank you for the idea, I really love it!
We had Kindness Elves visit this past Christmas too. The Imagination Tree has lots of ideas and I gleaned many more from the Kindness Elves Facebook page. My children looked forward to their notes and I felt much better about it than the usual Elf on the Shelf shenanigans.
Just saw this pop up in my Facebook feed. :) I love this idea. We have the typical Elf on the Shelf who sometimes gets himself into trouble. lol But we also have this one because my kids needed an elf they could touch. My kids can definitely learn to do for others more and I think your idea is awesome. Wish I had seen it last year. ha ha
Beautiful!