119 Elf on the Shelf Ideas: 8 Years of Our Family's Mischief
Every December since 2017, a cheeky little elf has turned our house upside down overnight — and every morning the children have raced downstairs to see what he's been up to. One elf (Nobby) became two when Tommy joined in 2021, and after eight years the ideas have well and truly stacked up.
So we've gathered every single one — 119 real mornings of mischief from our own home — into the biggest Elf on the Shelf idea list we could put together. Pinch any of them for your own elf. They run in order, from our very first arrival to the most recent, so grab a cuppa… there are a lot.
And if you'd like to start the tradition properly, we make a little handmade range to go with it — an arrival letter, an advent calendar, a book cushion and more — handmade in our Wiltshire workshop. We've popped them in along the way.
The very first night
Where it all began, back in 2017. The elf took the blame for a raided advent calendar — though, between us, a grown-up may have got to the chocolates first. A chaotic, chocolatey start to eight years of mischief.
Help! Stuck in the sweet jar
Climbed into the sweet jar for a midnight feast and got stuck, pressing a little 'HELP' note against the glass.
Spidey drop
Dropped head-first from the ceiling on a single thread, Spider-Man style — complete with a little handmade Spidey mask over his face.
Captured by the toys
The action figures got their revenge — we found him pinned to a Lego board, surrounded by armed toy soldiers and superheroes.
The toilet-paper tree
Wrapped the entire Christmas tree in loo roll overnight and peeked out from the middle, very pleased with himself.
A little help from the dark side
Darth Vader used the Force to pin our elf high up on the door — the toys clearly can't be trusted.
Santa says hi (in ketchup)
Came down to 'Santa says Hi x' scrawled across the cooker splashback in tomato ketchup. Messy, but magic.
Elf airmail
Folded a paper aeroplane — 'Elf Mail, special delivery' — and launched a letter from the top of the tree.
I pea'd myself
Cheeky as ever, he spelled out a rude little pun on the table... entirely in garden peas.
Taped to the wall
The toy soldiers struck back and taped our elf spread-eagled to the wall, high above their battlefield.
Sir Elf and the foil armour
Fashioned a full suit of tin-foil armour and went jousting on the dog's back.
Be good (written in toothpaste)
Perched on the bathroom shelf having squeezed 'Be good' across the mirror in toothpaste — a gentle reminder from the North Pole.
Caught on the throne
Found sitting on a loo-roll 'toilet' at the table, casually reading a Christmas card. Even elves need five minutes' peace.
Minion bananas
Turned the whole bunch of bananas into minions with a marker, and left a cheeky note: 'eat your minions... oops, I mean bananas.'
Toy Story rescue
Buzz Lightyear abseiled down the staircase on a line to rescue our elf, with Woody keeping watch from the landing.
Chilling in the fridge
Wrapped in a little towel and kicking back on the fridge shelf between the mint sauce and the apple sauce.
Locked in Mr Freeze's cell
The toys turned on him again — we found him frozen inside the Mr Freeze ice prison.
Hiding in the cereal box
Nibbled a hole in the front of the Rice Krispies box and popped his face through, joining Snap, Crackle and Pop.
The toys took over
Overnight he gathered every superhero, vehicle and dinosaur into one enormous gathering across the living-room floor.
Special delivery
Scaled a mountain of toys to deliver a North Pole 'special delivery' letter from the very top.
Flour snow angel
Tipped out the flour and made himself a perfect snow angel across the kitchen worktop. Magical — and a nightmare to clear up.
Chased by a dinosaur
Cutting it fine this morning — caught mid-escape with the T-Rex's jaws around his arm.
The piggy-bank heist
Full bandit mask and swag bag, mid-raid on the piggy bank with coins everywhere. Cheeky little thief.
Candy-cane zipline
Rigged a line across the room and came zipping across hanging from a candy cane.
Shop this → Elf Candy Cane Holder £2.95
Marshmallow bubble bath
Ran himself a bath in the sink — shower cap on, up to his neck in marshmallows.
Elf's lemonade stand
Set up his own 'Elf Lemonade' stand — 50p a glass — though the suspiciously golden colour had us wondering whether it was apple juice... or something the elf had made himself.
Caught in the pants
Got himself hopelessly tangled in a pair of Jack's pants from the washing pile, with a little 'Help!' note pleading to be set free.
Let it go!
Perched on the loo having scrawled the Frozen anthem all over it — 'Let it go, don't hold it back anymore!' Toilet humour at its finest.
Buried in the cereal
Face-deep in a bowl of cornflakes, with Santa-suit letters spelling out the children's names around the edge.
The spin cycle
Climbed into the washing machine and struck a star-jump — thank goodness someone checked before putting a wash on.
An early present
Left a letter and a brand-new toy on the table: 'Santa's read your list and let me sneak you one early.' A lovely surprise morning.
Post from the North Pole
Arrived through the letterbox clutching a North Pole Express envelope — special delivery, hand-dropped by the elf himself.
The door snowman
Built a snowman face on the door — Santa hat, paper carrot nose and a cheeky coal smile — and perched beside his handiwork.
Caught in the embroidery machine
Found tucked under the needles of the embroidery machine, 'helping' make the next batch of handmade orders. Cheeky little apprentice.
The countdown banner
Unrolled the loo roll all the way down the stairs and wrote the countdown on it — '9 days left!'
Magnetic messages
Spent the night on the fridge, rearranging the magnets into festive messages... and one cheeky one: 'Daddy is a big farter.'
Superhero rescue
Mounted a daring mission in the empty bath, hauling Captain America and Iron Man to safety.
The snowball briefing
Gathered all the superheroes for a serious talk, little paper snowballs at the ready for the big fight.
Diving in the Lego
Took a running jump straight into the Lego tub for a swim — braver elf than most of us in bare feet.
A slimy situation
Caught face-down in a puddle of homemade slime — his latest 'experiment' clearly got the better of him. A gloriously gooey morning surprise.
King of the tower
Spent the whole night building a towering Lego skyscraper — fairy lights wired in and all — then climbed right to the very top. A proper labour of love, this one; the build alone took a good couple of hours.
Elf gym
Working on his strength for the big sleigh push — lifting a marshmallow barbell before breakfast.
Popcorn explosion
Tried to make a midnight snack and left a bag of popcorn bursting out of the microwave, with treats scattered everywhere.
Posted first class
Arrived tucked inside his own 'Special Overnight Delivery' pouch, addressed and stamped, ready for the big morning reveal.
Shop this → Personalised Elf Arrival & Return Envelopes £15
Whiteboard mischief
Taped himself to the family whiteboard in a big X, cackling 'He he he!' beside a snowman doodle crying for help.
Slipper bobsleigh
Turned a slipper into a bobsleigh and went hurtling down the bannister run — Winter Olympics, elf edition.
Toasting marshmallows
Set up a tiny campfire by the mini tree and settled in to toast a marshmallow over the candle.
Thanos snapped the elf
A proper crime scene — Thanos stood triumphant over the elf's outline, dusted out in porridge oats. Only his hat survived.
Elf laundry day
Pegged all his tiny outfits out on the washing line and did the scrubbing in a little bowl — then dangled from the line himself for good measure.
The floor is lava
Clung to the cupboard, well clear of the floor, with a warning sign spelling it out: 'THE FLOOR IS LAVA!' — the red mat below being the molten lava to keep off.
It wasn't me!
Added devil horns and moustaches to the framed family photo overnight, then denied everything: 'It wasn't me!' Whiteboard pens, thankfully — it all wiped clean afterwards.
Magic elf eggs
Left 'magic sprinkles' on a couple of eggs with a note — keep them safe and check in the morning... when they'd turned to chocolate.
Caught in the web
Spider-Man finally got him — we found the elf wrapped head-to-toe in webbing, dangling from the wall.
Movie night sorted
Laid out the Star Wars pyjamas, poured the popcorn and set the remote ready — the elf had planned the perfect night in.
Stuck in the telly
Pressed the wrong button and got himself trapped inside the TV: 'How do I get out of here?!'
What a funny horse!
Found happily riding the wooden zebra, having written on the glass: 'What a funny horse!'
The midnight photo shoot
Got hold of the iPad and left behind a whole photo shoot — snap after snap of himself causing havoc around the house while everyone slept. Caught in the act, by his own camera.
Keeping toastie
Popped up out of the toaster with the bread, grinning: 'It's cold outside but I'm toastie!'
Christmas jumper day
Pulled on his own little knitted jumper to remind the children it was Christmas Jumper Day — and to wish them luck in the Nativity.
Harry Potter on a broomstick
Dressed up as a Gryffindor wizard and took to the skies on a broomstick, hovering in mid-air. Top tip if you try it: fishing line is your friend for hiding the thread.
Frozen in carbonite
Boba Fett struck again — the elf was found frozen solid in a block of ice, Han Solo style.
Creeper incoming
Got fully immersed in Minecraft and turned himself into a Creeper, hat poking out of the top — a proper character look-alike.
Santa's cookie critic
Hid the treats away with a blunt review: 'YUK, don't leave these out for Santa!' In fairness... they were the dog's treats.
Cheeky Nando's
Rolled in late with a Nando's takeaway and a cheeky drink: 'Sorry Jack, I couldn't resist. Hiccup.' An easy win all round — the grown-ups didn't mind the leftovers one bit.
A chocolatey surprise
Left a cheeky chocolate version of himself chilling in the fridge. A real labour of love — nibbling the top off the egg, easing him inside without a crack, then wrapping it all back up. Worth it for the morning hunt.
Elf rock-climbing champion
Scaled the glass door using stick-on bows as climbing holds, and crowned himself '2020 Elf Rock-Climbing Champion.'
Beer pong, elf-style
Set up a row of cups across the floor for a game of elf 'beer pong' — with a little treat hidden under each one to find.
The Skittles rainbow
Left a plate of Skittles in water with a note — 'Wanna make a rainbow?' — and by morning the colours had bled into a perfect ring.
Balloon pool party
Filled the bath with blue balloons and dived in: 'It's pool party time — jump in!'
Elf on holiday
Sunglasses on, cocktail in hand, with a one-way 'Elf Express' ticket to the Maldives — a cheeky nod to the holiday we'd been promised, and a lovely hint of sunshine to come.
The candy-cane hunt
Hid ten candy canes around the house overnight and set a challenge: 'Can you find them all?' These days we make a little felt candy-cane holder too, perfect for the mornings he turns up bearing sweets.
Shop this → Elf Candy Cane Holder £2.95
Googly-eyed pool balls
Stuck googly eyes on every pool ball and hid among them, grinning, down in the ball tray.
Tangled in the fairy lights
Got himself wound up in the fairy lights inside the display cabinet: 'Help, pleeease!'
Hiding in the Pringles
Popped his head out of the Pringles tube — once you pop, even the elf can't stop.
Elf does some colouring
Borrowed the felt-tips and left a neatly coloured-in picture of himself behind.
Toys play Twister
Set up a game of Twister for the action figures and took charge of the spinner — Stormtrooper versus Batman versus Vader.
Elf the artist
Set up a little studio and painted a row of superhero logos on tiny canvases — palette, easels and all.
Giddy up
Saddled up the painted horse ornament, name bracelet on, and rode off into the night.
Dressing up
Found standing in the red glass vase, wearing it like a very glamorous ballgown on the dresser.
Jungle explorer
Went off exploring and was found clambering through the houseplants like a tiny red Tarzan.
The greatest hits
Printed out his favourite moments and stuck them all over the fridge: 'Bet you can't remember them all!'
Don't feed the dinosaurs
Let all the toy dinosaurs loose over a tin of baked beans, with a stern warning sign: 'DO NOT FEED THE DINOSAURS!'
Poker night
Dealt the cards for a late-night poker game with the villains — and seemed to be holding a very good hand.
Egg heads
Got hold of the marker and drew a different silly face on every single egg in the box.
Yellow submarine
Climbed aboard the toy submarine and set off on a deep-sea adventure across the shelf.
Our tree is better than yours
The two elves built their own little pom-pom tree overnight and left a smug note: 'Ours is better than yours!'
Grating the carrots
Got stuck into prepping the reindeer's carrots — making a proper orange mess of the worktop in the process.
Raiding the cupboard
Tucked themselves in among the soup and spices to be found — having first merrily emptied half the cupboard across the worktop.
How do you like your eggs?
The two of them took over the hob to fry up a pan of tiny eggs: 'How do you like yours, Jack?'
Gone fishing
Perched a candy-cane fishing rod over the fish tank and settled in for a spot of fishing.
Bath bomb
Found in the bath clutching a fizzing bath bomb: 'Let's blow this bath up — shh, Tommy's sleeping!'
Elf hot dogs
Tucked themselves into bread rolls like a pair of hot dogs, ketchup at the ready: 'Hot dogs for breakfast?'
The cardboard house
Built themselves a little cardboard house overnight — a tiny model of the very house we were living in at the time — and waved out of the windows come morning.
The car train
Hitched a long line of toy cars to their sleigh and set off on a convoy across the floor.
Mini golf
Set up a cheeky round of mini golf by the little tree — candy cane for a club, marshmallows for the balls.
Melting the snowman
Caught red-handed with the hairdryer, melting a little snowman into a puddle on the table. Poor snowman.
The wish list
Got hold of the toy catalogue and circled absolutely everything with a cheeky '20 days to go!'
It's coming home
Set up a sack-race football match in the utility room, England flag on the wall: 'It's coming home!'
Caught short
Not footprints, if you look closely — the pair were caught mid-wipe, with a very suspicious brown smear (it was Nutella, we promise) all across the kitchen roll.
Reindeer racing
A midnight reindeer race — and with Tommy nowhere to be seen, Nobby saddled up and rode out alongside the Grinch himself.
We're back!
Reappeared with a shiny 1st-edition Charizard and a 'We're BACK!' note — a sneaky little hint. On Christmas Day, Jack unwrapped a full base-set collection with one card missing... the elves' favourite, ready to slot straight into the empty space. Perfectly timed, and it landed a treat.
Strike!
Rolled a marshmallow down a salt-lined bowling lane and chalked up a 'STRIKE!' on the sign.
The look-out tower
Built a little look-out tower from ice-lolly sticks and a glue gun, and climbed up for the best view of the tree.
ELFabet soup
Climbed into the soup pot with the veg and left the recipe: 'ELFabet Soup — 2 elves, 1 onion, 2 carrots... cook on the stove.'
Elf jail
After the ELFabet Soup incident, the elves finally got their own back — locking the Grinch up behind candy-cane bars in the home-made 'Elf Jail.'
UNO with the nutcracker
Dealt the nutcracker into a late-night game of UNO — and by the looks of it, someone was about to shout 'UNO!'
The shoe-shoe train
Lined up everyone's shoes into a train and climbed aboard: 'All aboard the shoe-shoe train!'
Nobby is free!
Harry Potter style — left a sock in a book with a note: 'Master has given Nobby a sock. Nobby is FREE!'
Toilet jokes
Settled on the loo with 'The Little Book of Toilet Jokes' for a good giggle before bed.
The Poo Museum
Curated a whole 'Poo Museum' overnight — Gingerbread Poo, Reindeer Poo, Unicorn Poo and Grinch Poo, all made of sweets. The children were delighted and appalled.
The Grinch strikes
The Grinch snuck in and hid both elves, leaving a gloating note: 'Ha ha ha, I've hidden the stupid elves — good luck finding them!'
Bundled away
The Grinch struck again overnight — tied the pair up in parcel tape and bundled them off, marked 'Fragile'. No elf is safe when Grinchy's about.
Elf Smackdown
Revenge night. The morning after the Grinch tied them up, the elves came back fighting — a full wrestling smackdown in the toy ring: 'You're going DOWN!'
Midnight drinks
Helped themselves to a late-night tipple — one on the milk, one on the cola — and each left a matching pile of sweets to show for it: milk bottles for one, cola bottles for the other. Cheeky to the very last.
Phases of the moon
Built a very educational 'Phases of the Moon' display... using their own little bottoms for the full moon and new moon. Science!
Sponge cakes
'We made you some sponge cakes!' — only they were real washing-up sponges, topped with sprinkles and a sneaky chilli or two.
Stuck to the ceiling
Took things to new heights — found planted head-first into the ceiling, arms waving about in the air.
Taco Tuesday
Wrapped themselves up as a pair of burritos: 'Taco Tuesday — yum yum!'
Your mum is nuts
Raided the peanuts and spelled out a cheeky message across the table: 'Your mum is nuts.'
Handmade with love in Wiltshire · The Nutty Squirrel