I am especially excited about this holiday season, more than any of the previous ones. My daughter is now 2.5 and her language and communication has exploded over the past few months. She can now fully understand everything and I can just imagine how much her face is going to light up when she sees and hears all the magic of Christmas.
We’ve already got our ideas flowing on how to make this Christmas extra special for her. I’m not just talking about gift-giving, but I want her to experience so much more about the holiday season.
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Elf on the Shelf
Honestly, I always thought the Elf on the Shelf was a bit cliche before I had kids. I mean, trying to get your kids to behave just because they’re scared that a little doll will go tell Santa? Sounds a bit crazy.
Now, having a “terrible” 2-year-old, I totally get it!! I’ll do anything to get her to listen! However, I know that the whole idea behind the Elf on the Shelf is not just a tool to bribe your child into behaving.
It’s a simple way to help your child to believe in the magic of Christmas. Believing that the Elf flies up to the North Pole each night to see Santa and reappears in a new location every morning doing something silly.
Therefore, I couldn’t wait to order an Elf on the Shelf this year. I was thinking of some ways that we can introduce the Elf to our toddler and decided to do a North Pole Breakfast the morning after Thanksgiving.
Free Elf on the Shelf Welcome Letter Printable
Being that this is our first year really experiencing the magic of Christmas with our children, I had to go all in! First, I created a free Elf on the Shelf welcome letter printable that you can download to share with your children, as well.
I have four options of this Elf on the Shelf welcome letter. Two are for children getting their elves for the first time and two for returning elves. There is a version with more wording and less wording for each option.
Choose which letter fits best for you and simply print on your home computer. The file comes for a standard letter size paper 8.5 x 11. Enter your information to download below!
If you’d like a personalized letter with your child’s name and elf’s name, plus a matching goodbye letter, like the one below, you can purchase it here.
For coming from the blog, use code ELF2020 to get 25% off all the elf letters and the whole elf kit!
Welcoming Elf with a North Pole Breakfast
An elf can’t just show up one random day unannounced. Since you’ve already taken the plunge to get the Elf on the Shelf, you’ve got to make a BIG deal about welcoming him.
You can choose to introduce your child’s elf in any way you think of. However, if you’re looking for some good ideas, I got you! Busy moms don’t typically have time to think of these things so I wanted to share some perfect ways to get your little one excited for what’s to come.
A North Pole breakfast is an ideal way to begin the Christmas season for your child. This breakfast can be held the Friday morning after Thanksgiving or anytime you wish. Simply display the Elf on the Shelf welcome letter along with some fun goodies and they’re sure to be amazed!
After the craziness of Thanksgiving, a North Pole Breakfast is basically the kick-off to Christmas. Here are some fun, inexpensive ideas to decorate and set up for your North Pole Breakfast that your kids will go nuts over!
Also, check out my whole list of Elf arrival ideas here and even more last minute Elf debauchery for your little ones here.
1. Christmas Books
If you put away all the Christmas books after the holidays each year, now is a great time to reintroduce them. If you have an older child, you can use previous books or get them new ones. Even if you reuse ones from previous years, they will still feel new to them because they haven’t been seen in a year.
Since this is my first year doing a North Pole Breakfast with Elf on the Shelf and my daughter is only 2, I get to reuse all of her Christmas books from last year! She won’t know the difference so it will all seem new to her this year. Now that she is 2, it will be much more age-appropriate anyway and she will totally get what’s happening.
Elf on the Shelf comes with a book, but you can also get some other ones for your children to read and learn about the holiday all month long. Here are some great options for all ages:
Toddler:
Santa’s Workshop: Lift-the-Flap Book | Jolly Jingle Christmas | Dear Santa: A Lift-the-Flap Book
Elementary-aged:
Where Would Santa Go? | Secret Santas and the Twelve Days of Christmas Giving | Mouse’s Christmas Gift
2. New Christmas Pajamas
I know some parents enjoy giving their children pajamas on Christmas Eve to wear for Christmas morning, but why not have festive pajamas for the whole month of December? This is a great time to gift your children a new pair of fun Christmas pajamas.
They can get a lot of use out of these throughout the season. I’m sure you’ll be buying them anyway, so you might as well give them as a ‘gift from their elf.’
Old Navy has the cutest selection of Christmas Pajamas for the whole family! I love getting matching ones for us all!
3. Advent Calendar
An Advent Calendar will help your child countdown the days until Christmas. In the morning, they’ll love looking for their elf and then flipping open the next day in their calendar- getting one day closer to Christmas.
They make some really cute ones now to go along with your child’s favorite theme, tv show, or characters. I got my daughter a Disney Junior Calendar, but check out this huge selection from Amazon for your child’s favorite.
4. Festive food
Make a Christmas breakfast with some of these festive treats.
For your North Pole Breakfast, try whipping up some holiday-themed foods. Some items are really simple if you don’t have much time on your hands, like these little strawberry and banana Santa hats, but you can also get really creative with it too. Check out these adorable snowman cake pops from Tasty Kitchen if you’re really motivated!
You can serve hot cocoa or festive milkshakes to drink. Lay out some cookies or you can keep it healthy by using fruits and veggies to make holiday-themed recipes.
View a ton more cute, Christmas recipes of all difficulty levels, here.
5. Christmas-themed Decor
You can get some really inexpensive decorations from the Dollar Tree that can turn your table or room into a festive setting. There are plenty of items like Santa hats, jingle bells, Christmas trees, snow felt, straws, tablecloths, etc.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for at a Dollar Store, Target and Amazon always have some great options (with quick shipping if you’re waiting ’til the last minute like I usually do!)
6. More fun things to add
A few other ideas on how to make your North Pole Breakfast more festive:
- Candy canes, gumdrops, and marshmallow mountains
- Christmas-themed cups and mugs
- Christmas-themed plates, bowls, table cloths, napkins and placemats. You can easily go with disposable items that will look just as nice.
- Confetti and sparkles really add an extra festive touch. Confetti of snow flakes, glitter, Santa sparkles would add so much sparkle to the table.
- Balloons and banners in Christmas colors.
- Door curtain made from ribbons or streamers. Hang it in the door frame where your child would enter the North Pole breakfast.
I hope you have a great time enjoying the magic of Christmas with your children. I can’t wait to get this season started!
I have four options of this Elf on the Shelf welcome letter. Two are for children getting their elves for the first time and two for returning elves. There is a version with more wording and less wording for each option. Choose which letter fits best for you.
If you’d like a personalized letter with your child’s name and elf’s name, plus a matching goodbye letter, you can purchase it here.
Marissa is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist turned stay-at-home mom who loves sharing her tips, tricks, and ideas for navigating motherhood. Her days are filled starting tickle wars and dance parties with three energetic toddlers and wondering how long she can leave the house a mess until her husband notices. When she doesn’t have her hands full of children, she enjoys a glass (or 3) of wine, reality tv, and country music. In addition to blogging about all things motherhood, she sells printables on Etsy and has another website, teachinglittles.com, for kid’s activity ideas.
