Groundhog Day Festivities

No matter your age, have a groundhog day party for some silly fun. If you would like to make predictions or watch coverage, this works well as a sleepover. Alter activities depending on the age of your group. 

Activities

Shadow Pictionary

Play this game at night with a flashlight and a blank wall. Divide into teams. Players alternate teams and take turns using their hands to make shapes or animals. Their teammates have to guess what they are making in thirty seconds. If they can't guess, the other team gets twenty seconds to try. Whoever gets it right gets a point; the team with the most points wins. 

Hooray, it's spring! Relay

Provide two coats, scarves, mittens, wooly socks and a hat for each team. Divide into two teams. One team member dresses in the gear. On the count of three, both team members undress as quickly as they can before passing the gear onto the next teammate, who must dress in all the clothes before then taking them off again and giving them to the next player. Coats must be buttoned/zippered, scarves must be tied (at the very least, looped over and under) and socks must fit (no "elf socks"). The winning team is the first to finish. 

The other players who aren't getting dressed should watch the other team member get dressed. If they are caught leaving something out or not putting something on all the way, the offending team incurs a 5-second penalty.  

Shadow Tag

Avoid making a shadow in this game! Turn out the lights (making sure the room isn't completely dark). Play some music, then have a dance party. Pick one person to use the flashlight. If it lands on you, you're out! 

Seasonal Silliness

Play games depending on what season you're hoping for. 

-Have a snowball fight with rolled up socks or cotton balls

-Have an Easter egg hunt, inside or out

Groundhog Day viewing

Older groups can watch the movie. Don't forget individual popcorn---whoever finds the groundhog burrowing at the bottom of their bucket gets a prize. 

Groundhog Day Dance

You'll be thinking it's definitely Groundhog Day with all the repeating you'll be doing. One person is the dancer and does a few moves. The next person imitates them. If they get it correct, the dancer adds another move. The first person to mess up, including the original dancer, is out. 

You can alter this game in several ways. For example, play verbally: "I'm going on a Groundhog Day picnic and bringing apples, bananas, and cupcakes" with the next player repeating and adding a word, etc. 

Phil's Predictions

COMING SOON Print out copies of this game and have guests make predictions. See who gets the most correct. 

Ground or Hog?

Each answer has either the word "ground" or "hog" in it. Older groups might have fun with it if you divide the team into two, bring one person from each team up at a time, and have them race to be the first to say the answer. 

Raffle

In Pennsylvania, Gus is the second most famous groundhog, and is also the spokesperson for the lottery. When each guest arrives, they predict whether the groundhog will see his shadow or not. They write their name and place it into a "yes" bowl or "no" bowl. Set out a basket of scratch off lottery tickets (alternatively, if that's expensive provide just a few along with chocolate coins and a stuffed groundhog). After Phil makes his prediction, pull a name from the winning bowl.

Food

Phil's Hole Pflapjacks 
Make groundhog-size silver dollar pancakes and serve with pools of syrup. Or, use one larger pancake and two tiny ones to make a groundhog's head. Use chocolate chips and whipped cream for his cheeks and eyes.

Groundhog Cupcakes 
With frosting, place two candy eyes on one end of a Nutter Butter cookie. Use shoestring licorice for his mouth and decorator icing for two teeth. Nibble off the bottom of the cookie and place inside a cupcake---white frosted for snow and green frosted for spring.

Spring or Snow Sundaes

Allow guests to make their own.

Spring: chocolate ice cream topped with coconut colored green and Cadbury M&Ms to symbolize an early spring!

Winter: vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, white chocolate chips and/or crystal sprinkles

New Elf on the Shelf Goodies for 2021

Welp. This post partied a little too hard at the Christmas party. I think it may be drunk in a corner somewhere.

In the meantime, check out the Elf printables you're looking for at the link above. See ya there!

New Elf on the Shelf Goodies for 2020

This post is stuck quarantining in 2020. Will it ever come back?

Never fear, because the printouts have just moved. Click the Elf on the Shelf link above to visit (in the menu if you're on mobile)! See you there.

Blue's Clues Party Ideas

The reboot means its time for a party! Whether your child knows Steve, Joe, or Josh, this party is sure to suit them.

These ideas as well as borrowed recipes and resources for paw prints can be found on my Blues Clues Pinterest board.

Invitation

Super Party Planner Edition: Cut purple invitations in the shapes of mailboxes to look like Mailbox saying "Mail time!" Glue the open sides down except for one, which you will snip off of to create a mail slot. Include party details on an index card or other small card that fits into the side of the slot.

Not ambitious? Paste some pawprints onto a Word document to make stationery and write party details in Blues Clues font (this can be downloaded). 

Decorating

*Paint faces or attach facial cut-outs on salt and pepper shakers, shovels, pails, side tables, soap bars, and even your mailbox. Make sure they're in a prominent location. You might also paste a star onto a yellow ball like the one in Blue's yard and stick it on the front lawn.

*The adult host should wear stripes and khakis; or dress like the host their child is familiar with. 

*Find a dark shade and light shade of blue to use together for paper plates, napkins, streamers, and balloons.

Games

Before you begin anything, set up a video so you can sing and dance to the opening song.

*I think the best use of time is to play a game of Blues Clues by hiding pawprints in the vicinity of basic activities. Here are a few ideas that can be altered. This will dictate most of your activities if you choose to play.

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Food

*Make green punch to look like Steve's shirt (or blue to look like Josh's). Recipe on my board. Put out strawberry and dyed blue milk for Blue and Magenta Milks.

*Pawprint Birthday Cakes: Frost cupcakes with white icing. Draw a large circle in blue decorator icing near the bottom of the cupcake. Place 4 blue M&Ms around it to make a paw print. Or, make a large one-layer cake frosted blue with four blue cupcakes around it to make a pawprint. 

*Eat sugar cookies shaped like bones dipped in blue frosting.

Favors

Fill red pails (with faces painted on) with:

-blue candies

-striped socks

-bubbles 

-notebook

-crayons

-stickers

Before sending guests home, don't forget to play and sing the ending song!

Hogwarts Alumni Reunion

You don't have to be a kid to appreciate the spell cast by Harry Potter, so says a book review of the famous series. Conjure up an adult party that's just as fun. Picture this: it's ten years after your Hogwarts graduation, and the time is right for the class reunion.  

You can visit the full board here. It will have everything you need from tutorials to activities to invites and decorations. 

Invitations
Send everyone one of these scrolls. Fill out with party details, then tie up with red ribbon. If you give them in person, consider attaching a small stuffed owl.

Take note of the instruction for guests to bring chocolate coins as donation money- you'll need these later.

You might also instruct guests to come wearing their witchy best, or robes if you're having a Halloween party. 




Decorations
Near the entrance, set out a cauldron for guests to drop off their chocolate donation money. Attach this sign up top:

Paint paper towel rolls to look like candles and hang from ceiling.

Hang a picture of Moaning Myrtle in the bathroom. Use red soap to write on the mirror: The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Mudbloods beware!"

Play movie soundtracks in the background.

Set out candies below in decorative jars and print out food labels. Set out small votive tea candles around the table. Light plenty of real candles as well---witches don't traditionally use electricity.




Activities

Have everyone place their chocolate coins into a cauldron with a sign that says "Proceeds will be donated to S.P.E.W" and a picture of a house elf. At the end of the party, raffle it off.

Set out a cocktail or mocktail bar and have guests create their own potion tasting.

Find a picture of each guest and tape to paper or parchment. Have guests sign each other's "yearbook pages."

Have a Quidditch matchup. Split the group into equal teams. Each team should have a Keeper, Seeker, 1-2 Beaters, and equal numbers of Chasers.
Hang up three hoops from trees on either side of the space. The Chasers' goal is to score as many goals as possible by throwing the balls through the hoops while the Keepers guard them. A goal is worth ten points. Occasionally, a volunteer should toss black dodgeballs into the crowd; it will be the Beaters' job to get rid of them and stop them from hitting players (if a player is hit, a 10-second penalty is incurred).  Volunteers should also occasionally run into the playing field to give the "Seekers" an opportunity to catch them and end the game with 150 points. You can omit the Seekers if necessary. The player with the most points whenever the game ends wins.



Or...go to class if you do have younger guests!

Transfiguration- give everyone some clay. Guests have 15 seconds to transform it into different objects. Whoever has the best transfiguration that round gets a House Point. You could also provide costumes and have guests turn into a different witch or wizard or famous person for the day.

Herbology- Send guests on a scavenger hunt to find nature objects outside...whether you're using real names or magical names and have guests use their imagination. Winning team gets House Points.

Potions- Make ice cream in a baggie--a Cooldown Potion. Or make your own potions by filling jars with paint and glue. Cherry Wallis has great ideas for potions as seen here for Amortentia.

Charms- Make charm bracelets with the colors of your House.

Defense Against the Dark Arts- Recruit a volunteer to dress as people's worst fears. Guests should defeat it by shouting "Riddikulus!" Think of a way to make the boggart funnier. Guests will need to work together to hit it 20 times with dodgeballs. If you'd like, make the boggart work for it by announcing how you are making your fear funnier. The teammate to finish it off gets a House Point.

Care of Magical Creatures- Make your own bowtruckles. Give each guest a stick, googly eyes, and accessories.  Or, have a hippogriff race. One person from each team is the hippogriff and must get each blindfolded teammate safely through an obstacle course. They must give their partner instructions but touch should be limited. The first House team to get everyone back safely gets House Points.

Divination- Make Harry Potter themed cootie catchers. Or play a crystal ball game. Everyone writes an "yes/no/maybe" answer on a strip of paper. Choose one player to go into the center of the circle. They close their eyes and spin around three to five times. Every player in the circle draws a strip of paper. When the player stops spinning, they see who they are standing in front of and they read their strip of paper. There are multiple ways you could play question/answer games. Alter it as you'd like.

Professor Trelawney's Fortune Telling

As shown below, you may also have guests spill milk (or beads or sand) onto construction paper and find shapes to tell each other's fortunes.

Food

Set out the following magical items in decorative jars:
Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans- jelly beans
Muggle Munch- puppy chow with candy corn
Chocolate Cauldrons- truffles
Candied Worms- gummy worms
Drooble's Best Blowing Gum- bubble gum
Licorice Wands
Dementor Mix (Hershey's mini chocolates and kisses)




You could also include:
Pumpkin Pasties- Tastycake cupcakes work fine, especially the Halloween ones
Chocolate Frogs- melt candy in frog molds 
Magic Wands- pretzels dipped in chocolate with gold sugar sprinkles
Molly Weasley's Meat Pies 
Hagrid's Cake (dull pink frosting with green writing that says something misspelled like: Welkome Alumnaee)
Pumpkin Juice (could be orange soda or some other orange punch)--serve in goblets
Butterbeer

Food labels can be found here. Simply cut out the units as a whole after printing on cardstock and fold them over so they can stand.

New Elf on the Shelf Goodies for 2019

Ho ho ho OH NO! Santa's elves have really done it this time. They've broken the Internet. Way to go!

Actually, no. The Elf letters have just moved. Click the link on the top of the page to get to what you want! 

Christmas Charity Bash

Invites

Find a small box template online. Cut it out and copy it onto holiday card stock. Put it together and slide a small piece of paper with party details inside, along with a small chocolate or two. Use small ribbon to tie it together. Pop a miniature bow on top with a mini tag with the guest's name on it.



Decorations/Setup

Weeks before the party, search for a local charity that is looking for holiday gifts for children. There are often locations where you can "take a tag" and buy a gift for that child. Get one for each guest. If the gifts can be wrapped, this is a great excuse to have a party. In your invites, instruct guests to find a gift for the gender and age specified. If you can't find a charity that accepts wrapped gifts, invite guests to come and make gifts for family instead.

Set out a long table and chairs. Cover the table in a tacky Christmas-ey tablecloth or wrapping paper.

Wrap several large boxes in Christmas-ey paper, leaving them open. These can serve as garbage cans for extra wrapping paper.

Play your favorite Christmas movie in the background.



Activities

The primary goal of this event is to make gifts and to wrap gifts for those who need them.

Here are a couple of homemade gift ideas you can work on during this party. Be sure to set out enough materials for each craft project so that everyone can make one:

Decorate sugar cookies. Throw some batches into the oven and have each guest decorate a few.

Make cards for the charity recipients and for family. A few ideas:
-Use washi tape to create designs.
-Stamp designs into cards and color them in.
-Use 3-D sticky squares to cut out images and make them pop out from the scene.
-Cut cards into snowflake patterns.

These are all ideas; don't aim to try them all in one party!


Food

It will be easier to stay simple for this one.

Make sugar cookies as the party goes along and have guests decorate some.

Set out bowls of Christmas puppy chow.

Have a separate side table for Christmas waters and fruit punch.

Ellen DeGeneres' Be Kind Party

Invites

They're not really used anymore, but if you'd like you can print out the Ellen card. Write party details on the back. 

Ask guests to donate an entry fee for a good cause, be it an animal shelter or the Ellen DeGeneres Wildlife Fund.

Decorations

Hang blue and white balloons and streamers for a party feel.

Hang a "Be Kind to One Another" poster from the Ellen shop--hopefully they still have them. 

Play Pink's song "Today's The Day." Look up other live performances from Ellen's show as well.

Hide small scares in places--a clown puppet taped to the toilet, a shocking jumpscare in an Epic or Fail video, a scary face painted on a balloon with glow-in-the-dark-paint in a closet you'll be using, your brother hiding under the cake table, etc. At the end of the party give the guest with the best reaction a prize. 

Food

Finding Dory cups: Place several shades of blue M&Ms/other blue round candies in little cups. Hide a Swedish fish or gummy fish inside. 

Ellen Blue punch: Combine a gallon of blue Hawaiian Punch, 2 liters of lemon lime soda, and 46 oz of pineapple juice and serve. For a more accurate color, just use the Hawaiian Punch.

Birthday? Make a blue cake with vanilla frosting. 

Any blue and white snacks are fair game. If you wan to splurge, see if you can find a nearby bakery who will write positive phrases on sugar cookies. 

Games

Play versions of the games seen on the show. If you'd like, call guests up at random throughout the party to play. Here are just a few ideas:

Epic or Fail Have each guest send you the links to 3-4 internet clips beforehand. Show each clip at the party and pause it right before the person in the video either does something epic or fails miserably. See how many guests can guess correctly.

Pitch Please Pick an object and show it to the group so that the other game player can't see what it is. You, as the host, will ask them questions about the item and they will answer, not knowing what they are talking about. Think of it as a QVC special. For extra fun, record the "performance."

Taste Buds: Blindfold two guests at a time. You will hand them a plate of food which they must taste blindfolded and guess what the item is. See who can get the most correct, or divide the group into teams and have two players taste at a time. Whoever gets the most points wins.

Fast Fingers of Fate Have everyone type out a phrase on an iPhone. The person who can type it out the most accurate the quickest wins the round. They may not edit typos.

Emoji Exploji Use emojis to write out a sentence rebus-style. Have players guess what the sentence means. Whoever gets the most correct wins. 

Heads Up: Download the app and play as a group.

Game Board Relay Use games that have appeared in the show- Sorry Spin, Jenga, 5-second rule,  even Heads Up. Divide the group into two EVEN groups and line up the game boards in a row. Set a timer for ten minutes and have pairs play their game. When time is up, each team determines a winner. The top row of guests moves to the right and the bottom row moves to the left until each player has played each game. The winner gets a prize from the Ellen shop.

There's also these...

Talk Show Ball If guests don't know each other, or even if they do, write a rubber ball with questions they can answer on it. Toss the ball around and have guests answer the question under their right thumb. They talk about it as if they are on a talk show. Try for at least 2-3 minutes straight. Bonus points for funny stories!

The Compliment Game Get the party started on a kind note. Sit in a circle. Player one compliments the player on their left by saying something like, "Your green shirt is lovely." That player compliments the player on their own left. They might say, "I like your long hair," but then they also must add the compliment that Player 1 said. Keep going until someone forgets a compliment. 

Favors

Include:

-A cheap gift card like the ones Ellen gives out

-Blindfolds or sleep masks with wacky eyeballs as seen on the show

-Blue and/or white candies
-Beauty supplies: bath poufs, nail polish, lotion in blue or white
-Little books of inspirational quotes or notepads (check your local bookstore)

Mario Party: Live!

Many of these pinnable ideas can be found live on my Mario Party Pinterest board.

Invites

Fold a piece of paper in half and cut around edges to make it look like a Nintendo DS. Draw a screen and controls in the inside of the card. Write party details on the "screen." 

Find a Mario pipe template online. Trace two pipes onto green paper so that the edges touch. Cut out a picture of Mario and stick it on top of a popsicle stick. Cut out a small, thin rectangle and glue the two ends to the inside of one pipe so that there is a gap between the rectangle and the side of the pipe.  Slide the popsicle stick through the slot and so that it appears on the bottom of the pipe--this way Mario can pop in and out. Glue the two pipe pieces together on all sides except for the bottom. Write party details on the back or front of card. 

Decorating

The key here is color, cheer, and happy outdoor landscapes. Think about sidescrolling levels in Mario games.

Blow up white balloons and attach cotton. Attach two black buttons for eyes. Hang from the ceiling.

Hang up red and green streamers and balloons.

Create a backdrop. Hang up a teal blue sheet on the wall for a sky. Find images of Mario clouds, pipes, bricks, enemies, etc. and cut them out. Tape images to the sheet to create a scene.

Cut out Fire Flowers, tape them to sticks, and place into pots.

Use a block template to print, cut out, build, and stack bricks.

Hang up a banner in Mario font--see my board for banner. 

Games

Images are not currently working...sorry! Please visit my board at the link above for images and descriptions.

Mario Party Extreme- Set up a game board with cardboard paper for spaces. Invite each guest to write "action spaces" on 3 sheets of paper, such as "You fell into Bowser's lava pits! Lose a turn." Interperse these action spaces among blank sheets of paper on the ground to create a game board. 

Everyone should start at the Start block. Players/teams take turns rolling a six-sided cube cardboard box with numbers on the sides. They move that number of spaces and follow the directions on the paper if there are any. The first player or team to the finish wins.

Mario Kart Race- Divide the group into teams of two. They should both have an obstacle course to maneuver through of equal length. You may use cones,  and stuffed animals or Mario enemies. On "go," the first player hops on their tricycle and goes to the end of the course and back without "falling" (leaving the course limits) or running into an enemy. Running into an enemy incurs a five-second penalty while falling incurs ten seconds. 

Yoshi Egg Hunt- Buy plastic Easter eggs, preferably polka dotted. You may also paint polka dots later. Hide them and invite the guests to find as many as they can. The guest who finds the egg with a paper Yoshi inside can win a special prize of your choosing.

Perler Beads- If you have a smaller group, invest in some square bead templates and bead kits. Find some templates on the internet--they're everywhere--and print them out. Let guests use the templates to make their own Mario characters or power ups. 

You may also make these yourself before the party and give them to guests as favors or place cards. 

Menu

Menu may be printed and displayed or just used as inspiration.

Favors

Print brick block patterns onto cardstock. Put them together and fill with chocolate coins.

See the Fire Flower decoration idea above. Fill the pots with chocolates and/or chocolate coins.

Quizzes, Quizzes, Quizzes

Below are knowledge and personality quizzes. Take them on the computer, or print them out and take them with friends. Enjoy!

ENTERTAINMENT/POP CULTURE
The Big Comfy Quiz: Which Big Comfy Couch Character Are You?
Calvin or Hobbes? 
Which famous cat are you?
Who are you from Blues Clues?
Who are you in the Big Blue House?
Which Lizzie McGuire episode should you star in?
Which Human Character Are You in Garfield?




HOLIDAY/CELEBRATIONS
It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown Trivia
What's Your Halloween Party Style?
Know Your Elf
The Great Pumpkin Quiz
  (please keep in mind for this one....the answer to question 7 is actually (highlight for spoilers): yellow coat and blue scarf
Have a Harry Halloween: Test Your Knowledge of Potter Halloween events

9 Ways to Have an Easter Egg Hunt

Easter egg hunts are fun. Even when you're an adult.

Do they have anything to do with the true meaning of Easter? No. Not really. But they're awesome and a spring staple for sure.

DYED EGGS
Use the eggs you dyed the previous day for an egg hunt. Hide them around the house and have everyone find the eggs they colored. Give a prize for whoever finds theirs the fastest.

BIBLICAL
Look up the resurrection egg tradition and put a symbol in each egg. Gather back together and share the story of Easter.

SNOOPY-STYLE
Toss your plastic eggs blindly and randomly all over the yard, then have your group search for them.

ROLE REVERSAL
First, the adults hide for the kids. Then, the kids hide for the adults! Try to put together two sets of eggs for both groups.

SCAVENGER HUNT
Each egg comes with a candy and a clue where the next egg is hiding. Good for indoors, and for only children. You could also offer baskets of prizes for everyone at the end and have a group work on the scavenger hunt together.

COLOR-CODED HUNT
Everyone must find eggs, but they can only collect eggs in their own color. Make sure everyone has an equal number of eggs to find. This is also a good way to alter the difficulty of the hunt for each child involved.

GLOW IN THE DARK
Put similarly colored glow sticks in each egg, then hide them in the dark.

EGG RELAY
Divide the group into teams. The first player goes to find an egg, then runs back to the group and places it in their basket. Then the next player runs for an egg, and so on until they have found a certain number of eggs. The group that finishes first wins a prize! This is a good variation to play with your dyed eggs.

ADULT HUNT
The same as a kids' hunt, but for adults only! Warning: more mature prizes might set you back a bit more money depending on what you use. Consider charging an entry fee if it's a larger group.

THE WORST EGG HUNTS I'VE EVER DONE 

Eggs only with your age on them. We went to a local funeral home for this one where yard space was quite limited. We were separated into groups by age. I was part of the 8-10 group (well, I was twelve, but you know). The eggs had a number on them from 8 to 10, but you could only collect eggs with the number of your age on it.There weren't a lot of kids in our group...but there were a lot of 10-year-olds. Long story short, I collected three eggs while the two eight year olds went home with baskets overflowing. And quite frankly, can you be honest with kids to pick the right numbers? Eh, maybe... They clearly assumed that equal numbers of kids of each age would be participating. Nope. This *might* have worked better if they had guests RSVP, and even then not everyone might show up. 

Paper bag hunting. The concept wasn't bad here, because the paper bags in questions could hold a lot of candy. But paper bags aren't a lot of fun to find, not to mention difficult on a cloudy early March or April day when things may still be looking brown.


Have a wonderful Easter and don't be afraid to get your hunt on, no matter your age!

Dunder Mifflin Party

I now have a few printables for this party, so I thought it would be time for its own blog post. Here are some ideas to inspire your Scranton celebration. You can see more resources on my Pinterest board.

Invites

Well, well, how the turntables! For some very strange reason, my the link to this saved invite got replaced with someone ELSE's Dunder Mifflin invite that I must have downloaded at some point. Maybe I'll make it up again in the future. Erm...here is some text you can use for inspiration?

Activities

*Host Office Olympics as shown here

*Have a Dundie ceremony. Buy plastic Dundie awards and give everyone a ridiculous title.

Drinking Game

I made this ages and ages ago. Do it responsibly. Visit the link to myPinterest board on the top of this post to see a clearer version. 

Food Labels

(12 pack)

You can print out these labels to serve with food at your party. Many are self explanatory but others you can work with- for example, Dwight's beets can be actual beets (as a decoration, because Dwight would absolutely bring in beets), or some other round treat like red M&Ms. 

I could only do one per page but this will allow you to stand them up---print on card stock, cut them out and fold the top part under the bottom. Or just print out the text half and tape it to a bowl. 

Food ideas can be seen when you download the image.

Playlist

I also wanted to bring your attention to a playlist. I have created a compilation of songs that have appeared in the TV show that you can use for the party. This playlist is ongoing and editable, so I can always make changes. Make your requests in the comments, but if I see any evidence of "Um, this is wrong" or "uh, why didn't you include *so and so?* Dumb!"  I will be less likely to honor your request. Pretend that you are making a request to Angela. 

Watch this space for any more possible ideas.

                         

A few other ideas since you're here...

*Play Office trivia or Office Clue (the board game).

*Buy plastic Dundie awards (I've seen them on Etsy but you can probably get them elsewhere) and have a ceremony.

*Invite people to come in costume, or assign each guest a character to come as so you have all the main characters present. 

*Play Michael's Diversity Day game with Office characters---major or minor. 

*Play tribute to Michael's biggest hobby---improv. Play charades or another theater game of your choice.

*Play the Office drinking game on my Pinterest board. (Do it responsibly please!) Non-drinker? Use Kevin's jar of M&Ms instead. 

*For a twist, throw an Office Christmas party and have a Yankee swap. For extra points, have a Moroccan Christmas or Classy Christmas. 

Yes, It's Okay to Play Santa! A Christian's Perspective

I once read a comment online about how much better Hanukkah was because it wasn't super commercial. I don't entirely agree with this; I think that if you look past the ads and the shopping malls Christmas is magical for many people. (I also think that holidays aren't a contest and that we should stop yelling about others' traditions.)

Jesus is amazing. He was sent to Earth to save us and without being born, it wouldn't have happened. Material items aren't nearly as important. Santa is a good guy, but he's not real, and doesn't do what Jesus did.

But, kids need imaginations these days and I am cool with playing Santa. Santa can also be a great teaching tool for the faith. Here are some ways you can keep this tradition alive without making him into an idol. There are too many blogs out there that yell at people for how they participate. These are just some ideas!

HOW TO PLAY SANTA

Do teach kids the real meaning of the holiday.

According to an old infographic on Pinterest, 25% of kids believed that Easter was about celebrating the Easter Bunny's birthday. I'm not trying to be a prickly holiday judge, but this is dangerously close to idolatry. Teach them early. Take them to church, or read them picture books about the meaning. There are many.

Don't go crazy with shopping.

Does anyone else get super-sad to see that some people find Christmas stressful? I do! It's supposed to be a wonderful, joyous time of year! Don't let the need to buy 50 material items take away from that joy. In fact, the less you buy, the happier you'll be. And the more focused on Jesus, I might add. The Bible speaks out about how materialism is bad. We need to store treasures in heaven, not on Earth. Those are the best treasures! Santa doesn't even need to give many gifts.

I'm not opposed to gifts. They're a holiday tradition to show your appreciation at year's end, and aren't just for Christmas. The four-gift rule is becoming popular on Pinterest also. It basically goes, "one thing I'll wear, one thing I need, one thing I want, one thing I'll read." Easy enough.

Again, teach them early. If you implement this rule from the get-go, kids will never know what they're missing.

Do give your kids Biblical gifts!

From kids' Bibles to VeggieTales videos, there is many a Christian gift out there to give to your kids. If you really don't like material items, you might focus on these types of things.

Do present Santa as a disciple of sorts.

Santa likes to reward kids who are like Jesus! And even though we make mistakes, God's grace allows us to keep receiving Jesus' love. Thus, even though we are bad sometimes, Santa gives us gifts anyway. But, he is not the reason we celebrate. Santa exists to help spread joy and messages of giving, just like Jesus would want us to do. Jesus is the meaning; Santa is the helper. Even Santa needs Jesus in his life. How else do you think those reindeer fly? Faith!

Santa is also a huge do-gooder. He likes to reward Godly behavior. He comes to visit us in order to serve. (That said, don't confuse Santa with real disciples! He is just a helper.) 

There are picture books out there that present Santa as a helper. I've heard of one, anyway. Have some story time and learn about why Santa does what he does.

But Santa is also a good teaching tool for faith.

Even as adults, it's hard to have faith and believe in something we don't know for sure exists. Can you imagine how hard this concept must be for kids to wrap their head around? Yet, the legend of Santa Claus is spread far and wide and quite frankly, it's made so believable by traditions and word-of-mouth that it's hard not to believe in Santa. What if we did the same for God? 

Think back to your favorite Christmas specials. Remember how many centered on the theme of "believing" and loving each other, and bringing tidings of great joy? Don't the same messages apply to Christ? Even the music...couldn't Santa Claus is Coming to Town be allegory for the coming of Christ? (well, think about it! You don't have to go THAT far...but could it?) Even if you don't explain to your kids why it should remind them of Jesus after every viewing, the messages still sink in.

Elf on the Shelf often encourages good, Jesus-like behavior.

When your Elf on the Shelf arrives, he can reference Jesus in his letters to you. The elf is there to make sure your kids are being good, like Jesus would want. Some elves even ask you to do good deeds instead of make mischief themselves. 

I have a plethora of items you can use. My introductory letters let kids know that the elf is here so they can practice being good like Jesus. (There are two versions.) He can even bring good deed challenges to get kids thinking of how to share God's love with others. If they want the elf to return, they need to complete the challenge! Check out the rest of my elf collection here as well.

Let kids grow out of it....

If you randomly tell them one day that Santa isn't real, they may be upset at this and wonder if Jesus is real too. But eventually, the magic fades and they will realize that Santa doesn't exist. By that time, it won't be upsetting to them. They won't be tempted to go back on their faith, or will be less likely to. However, I've never heard of that actually happening. If they ever go back on their faith, it probably won't be because Santa wasn't real! 

...however, retire the tradition if your kids get super greedy and don't get it.

If your kids are of the "super gimme" variety, playing Santa might not be for you. If your kids are praying to Santa, that's also a good reason to stop. That's totally cool. 

There's a reason I like Santa but not the Easter Bunny. Santa emphasizes giving and learning how to believe, and is based off a Christian figure (I actually don't love worshiping saints, but that isn't for this blog). The Easter Bunny is solely about material items. Also, he's kind of scary. Have you seen some of those vintage Easter Bunny portraits? 

So yeah. Let kids have a little fun this holiday, but don't forget what it's really about. And if you don't want to or don't feel comfortable with playing Santa, that's great too! I'm not here to tell you how to celebrate your Christmas; that's not my job and people have different styles and traditions. These are just some ideas! It is definitely possible to play Santa and still love Jesus more. 

New Elf on the Shelf Goodies for 2018

Whoops-a-daisies. There's nothing here. You must have broken the Internet. Good job!

Actually, the printouts have just moved (unless you came from an old Pinterest image that's no longer available). Click the link above to see them! 

Every Printout You'll Ever Need for Elf on the Shelf

This post is no longer being updated and will probably be gone soon. For all these printables, please visit the Elf on the Shelf link above.

How do you introduce your kids to an elf on the shelf?

The answers are below along with every printout you will need. Ever! Bookmark this page and come back to it if you're in need of anything. 

Please note that due to graphical limitations and margin defaults, some full-size printouts may have white trim on the side; just snip it off.

Want me to personalize your notes from the elf on the shelf instead of you having to write in names? Click here to fill out a personalization request.  

Personalization is available for some notes only, including the Naughty List warning. I will check requests every day from November 1 to December 23 each year. I will try to have them to you within 72 hours. 

Why return to me year after year?

-My printables are consistent and use similar styles/fonts (save a few early letters).  

-You don't have to spend precious holiday time writing thoughtful letters or try and make things look good. 

-Every printable you'll need is here. I have multiple calendars and letters available, making it possible (More notes from the elf will come eventually.) to return to me and not run out of material for several years to come. 

-You can get some letters personalized (no more handwriting in elf's names yourself and having suspicious kids wonder why the elf's handwriting looks so much like their mom's). It's free with a turnaround time of up to 72 hours. 

Pre-Step One: Make sure you know the tradition.

I've made an elf on the shelf guide for you, but you'll still need to buy the elf with the book.

Step One: Decide on your elf's hiding places/activities ahead of time with a calendar.

The years are irrelevant; that is just when the calendar came out. These ideas can be used at any time, and I'm sure a few ideas are duplicates. I may not be making too many more of these since I have six years' worth. 

2021 Elf Activities

2020 Elf Activities
2019 Elf Activities (good for use with my Jesus challenge cards)
2018 Elf Activities (good for use with my Bible notes)
2017 Elf Activities

Also, here is my terrible-looking 2015 calendar for posterity, and because people on Pinterest are actually saving it for some reason:


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Step Two: Around the beginning of December, introduce the elf to your kids with a letter. 

If you are new to elf on the shelf, pick one of these.

I present two different options for talking about Santa's methods. The last option explains that there is no naughty/nice list because God's grace allows us to receive gifts anyway. Pick the letter you like and print. 

Arrival letter with tree border 

Old version of arrival letter with tree border 
(mentions a North Pole breakfast to celebrate arrival) 

Red striped border 

Red striped border with grace explanation (no naughty/nice list)

If the elf has been to your house before, pick one of these.

Candy cane background with poem

Striped background 

(this one introduces your kids to the idea of no naughty/nice list if you want to start doing that)

Snowflake background 
(it's the second one in the download) 

Poem letter

The letter is on the second page of the download. In print settings, request that the printer prints only page 2. It has a polka dot border. 

Step Three: Make sure the elf can communicate with the kids with notes. 

Notes from Your Elf

The elf can interact with you by displaying these notes. Various scenarios here. Check them out and let them dictate some activities for your elf.

Progress Report

You elf can easily let your kids know how they're doing.

Surprise! It's not Christmas, but your elf is thinking of you anyway
It'll make the kids' day to see that the elf is thinking of them with these notes to be sent throughout the year. These have been updated since I last created them and look much better now. There are 5 notes the elf can bring for vacation, Easter, birthdays, losing teeth in lieu of the Tooth Fairy, and the first day of school.

Bible Notes
These Bible-based notes come with Scripture to bring a greater meaning to what the elf is doing that day. You can use these how you like, but my 2018 event calendar has some good ideas for context.    These have been freshly updated.

Step Four: Be prepared for fun stuff (and some not so fun stuff). 

Santa's Official Warning Letter
Uh oh. Has the kid been naughty? This might whip them into shape. The personalized version will look slightly different, but the text is the same. 

Santa's Official Naughty List Notice
Maybe your child really has earned their spot on the Naughty List. In that case, this is the letter for them...but there is always room for improvement. The personalized version will look slightly different, but the text is the same. 

Jesus-Inspired Good Deed Challenges
Your elf can bring a challenge card with them to get your kids invested in the meaning of the season.

Elf Fun Fact Sheet
Fill this out when your elf is a new arrival.

The "I've Had it Up To Here With That @#$!! Elf" Retirement Poem
Ready to retire the elf? Click here for your solution.

For if Your Kids are Really Bad on Christmas Morning
Give them this letter from Santa. It explains that they will have to donate some of their toys to teach them a lesson about giving and because they were not grateful. It sounds better in the letter. There may be a tiny sliver of white trim on the left; just snip it off. The personalized version will look slightly different, but the text is the same. 

Madlibs
The elf can bring these as a treat one day! 

Scavenger Hunt
Hide clues around the house that will lead the kids to a super-secret hiding place. (Yep...one of these cards doesn't really rhyme well, but you'll live. I may upload a replacement later.) 

    Also....here is a replacement clue for clue #8. I find it poorly written (it begins "That was sure              chilly..."). Please use this one instead; it's better.

Letter to Santa
Have the kids get thinking about what they want, and have them think about kindness as well.

Letter to Jesus
Get the kids thinking about what they'll do for Jesus this year. The elf can bring these, too.

Gift Express Board Game

Print out this board game and see who can collect and deliver gifts the fastest. Comes with a note the elf can bring introducing your kids to the game. 

Gift Express Board Game Expansion

Make a longer, better board game with this expansion. To incorporate it, draw four to six blue dots on squares of your choice on both boards. If you land one one, you may transport yourself to any square with a blue dot on the other board. 

Step Five: Say goodbye on Christmas Eve/Day with a letter or two. 

Christmas tree border 

This one comes with a bonus letter for one more return visit on Christmas Day. It is ideal for first-year elves but can be used with returning elves as well. 

Snowflake background 
(it's the first one in this download) This one suggests that the elf will be spending Christmas Day with you.

Wreath stationery 

This one suggests that the elf has been to your house before, so it is best used for at least SECOND YEAR elves. 

Poem goodbye

This one pairs well with the arrival poem letter, but they don't have to be used in the same year.

Step Six: Come back next year to get a new welcome note and see all the new goodies I have for you. 

The next year's calendar will now be available shortly after Christmas. Any other new goodies will be uploaded prior to and during the holiday season.