Share Your Elf on the Shelf Hiding Spots: What Has that Elf Been Up To?

Our Patch Elf on the Shelf has gotten ahold of our computer and now wants to know what his buddy elves are up to. Share your photos here!

Hi friends! I'm the Patch Elf on the Shelf. Call me Patchy. I've heard about more of my friends hanging around the suburbs lately, and I wondered what they were up to. Could their families post pictures here on Patch to show me? I'd love to catch up with them. We all go back to Santa on Christmas Eve, but in the meantime, we'll be watching you! Cheers, Patchy the Elf

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Cristel Mohrman

5:27 pm on Friday, December 7, 2012

These pictures are hilarious!   more ›

5 Creative Ideas to Have More Fun with your Elf on the Shelf

Creative ideas to keep the kids giggling with the Elf on the Shelf Holiday Family Tradition

Have you heard of the Elf on the Shelf Holiday Tradition? It's been growing in popularity for years now. In fact, we’ve been playing this fun Hide ‘n Seek game every Christmas for the past 6 years. How does it work?  Your Elf has a job to do, as the book that comes with the Elf explains. He or she sits in your house during the day but then at night, the Elf flies back to Santa to report on who has been naughty and who has been nice. Wait! Why would kids like that? Well, here’s the fun part. When the Elf comes back in the morning, he’s sitting in a different part of the house. It is the ultimate hide and seek game. As a family you can name your Elf and record the day he or she was "adopted" into your family in the keepsake book. You can …

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Life As I Know It

Being Good for Goodness Sake

When it comes to Santa, should kids behave just because Santa is watching?

About a week before Christmas last year, I thought I’d be clever and warn Gracie that “Santa is watching you” if she took a toy from Liam or refused to clean up her toys. This move worked for all of three days. Initially, the warning would stop Gracie in her tracks. But soon, it went unheeded, as Gracie is, shall we say, head-strong. It was while she was throwing crayons one afternoon last year that I had a flash of brilliance: Why should I encourage her to be good for Santa? Shouldn’t she be good for goodness sake, as noted in the song “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”? And besides, “Santa’s watching” loses its power in the middle of summer, and after about the 10th time you’ve said it in a day. Ask me how I know. This is why I hate and …

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