5 Tips to Organise Your Elf Antics this Christmas
Are you tired of white-knuckling your way through November and December, only to come out the other side exhausted from the mental load of everything there is to do this time of year? Then you need my Christmas Organising guide for only $7!
As an Elf on the Shelf Veteran for 9 years of hopelessly moving the cute yet kind of creepy Elf around our home (And then adopting an apprentice/2nd Elf on the 3rd year); I have just a few tips and tricks for helping you get organised to have fun with your Elf and make memories, rather than simply surviving and regretting your life choices to start this tradition in the first place. So here are 5 tips to help organise your Elf Antics this season.
Have a spot that you store your Elf and props in together that you can easily find each year
As a Home Organiser, I regularly get texts from my clients on the eve of December 1st asking “Have you come across my Elf at all?”. To which I pride myself on my amazing memory (and the fact I generally put this in my client notes for this exact reason ;) )
So often I help my clients with collating their Elf and props together to hide in a discreet spot for each year. By keeping your props with the Elf also can help you year on year and also look at how you can economically build on your props each year.
2. Brain Dump a list of ‘achievable’ antics during November
It’s one thing to scroll Pinterest and pin a heap of elaborate antics but my most memorable and successful years with the Elves were when I created a balance of 2-5 more elaborate antics in amongst more simpler days. Elf season is a marathon not a sprint, so I urge you to look at your schedule and brain dump some simple yet funny antics for those busier days.
3. Use calendar prompts like family and school events to inspire Elf antics
If you are having trouble to fill your antics list quota for the 25 nights, let your calendar and everyday life inspire you. Your child is graduating from preschool? Put a graduation hat on the Elf, with a “Congratulations on your Preschool Graduation” sign. Inspiration you can take from your personal calendar to include the Elf antics as part of the family or even staging them in an antic aligned with your family’s interests can be a big hit! (Example; Any Swifties in your home? Well you have several Eras of Antics right there.
4. Make a list of props you’ll need
It’s one thing to plan these fun antics and know what you’re going to do. It’s another to be scrambling your house after the kids go to bed for the bits and pieces you need to pull this off. Once you have your antics list, collect yourself by either scavenging around the home, make and create or order some props for your antics. The best props are ones that can be used over and over like mini lightboxes or blackboards to leave messages on that the Elf has written. And if there is one prop I loved dearly it was my Elf door. The magic door that the Elf entered our home from the North Pole via.
5. If you forget to move the Elf….
This time of year is hectic. I definitely recommend setting an alarm / reminder in your phone for each night after the kids bedtime to prompt you to avoid this. But this may happen, and when it does.
If you live in the Southern Hemisphere (I’m Australian so this was always my story as it’s Summer at Christmas time here); If the Elves haven’t moved, it can mean that they are too hot. So get your kitchen tongs and pick up the Elf (So you aren’t breaking the rule of directly touching the Elf) and move the Elf to the freezer. That way they can cool down to their more regular climate conditions like that of the North Pole and will resuming moving the next day… You’re welcome.
If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, use this strategy in reverse. Saying they must be too cold and use kitchen tongs to located them into a nice cozy blanket and they will resume moving the next day… Again, you’re welcome.
Happy Organising. I hope this helps inspire you for this Christmas Season.
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@collectively_organised
Jess x
For more of my tips for being organised at Christmas be sure to check out my Collectively Organised Christmas Guide for $7! Available to download now.