There are millions of children (and their families) all over the world who have a Visiting Elf. Read on to find out how this Christmas tradition works, whether it’s a good or a bad idea for you to invite a North Pole Elf into your home, and how you can create oodles of Christmas Magic even if you decide NOT to have a visiting Christmas Elf … or if like us, you prefer to avoid the ‘Naughty or Nice’ concept.
One of the most popular Christmas traditions for families with young children who believe in Father Christmas is to have a Visiting Elf. It’s a festive game that the whole family can enjoy together during the countdown to Christmas Eve …
Why choose a Visiting Elf?
The idea is that, before he starts filling his Toy Sack with presents, Father Christmas needs help from the North Pole Elves to find out if your children are being “naughty” or “nice”. He sends out his team of Visiting Elves with magical powers to visit children’s homes every day during Advent. Every morning one or more of them appear in a different place in your home, and every evening, while the children are sleeping, they travel back to the North Pole to report on their behaviour that day.
Read on to find out why this festive family Christmas tradition is growing in popularity each year, and whether you, your children and your family would like to join in the craze during the run up to the Christmas Eve celebrations. Discover how it all works and decide if a cheeky Elf guest, and all the fun and games they bring to your Christmas preparations, is right for your family …
How does a Visiting Elf work?
Once you’ve decided that your family will take part in the Visiting Elf Christmas tradition, you need to buy your chosen Elf friend. (There are plenty of different ones to choose from.) And whether they’re a girl Elf or boy Elf, they’ll need an Elf name – see our Christmas Elf Name Generator to find the perfect one for your visitor.
Your Elf Arrives!
Many families wake up to discover that the Elf (or Elves) has arrived (often with an Elf Arrival Welcome Certificate) and, much to the children’s delight, has caused all sorts of mischief and mess! Then, each day on the countdown to Christmas, the children can’t wait to discover a new Elf antic or adventure.
Making the magic!
Before bedtime on the day of your Visiting Elf’s arrival, remind your child(ren) that, every night, their Elf (or Elves) will travel back to the North Pole to report to Father Christmas whether they’ve been good or not. And so … every morning their Elf will appear in a new spot in your home to check on your children’s behaviour all over again.
And it’s your job to make the magic happen! … simply hide your Elf (or Elves) in a new place every night and enjoy the burst of excitement each morning as your child(ren) try to solve the mystery of where they’ll find their North Pole visitor! (Psst! … don’t make it too hard for your younger child(ren), but also not too hard that your older ones get fed up with trying!) Very quickly, this Christmas tradition becomes a fun and festive game of hide-and-seek for all your family, as well as your cheeky visiting Elf.
Finally, on Christmas Eve, your Elf travels home to the North Pole Village for the last time this year, with the hope of coming back next year to celebrate the Countdown to Christmas with you and your family.
Breaking the magic!
There’s only one rule for this popular Christmas tradition – children must never touch their Visiting Elf! Explain to your child(ren) that they can talk to it and engage with it from a distance (such as draw a picture or send a note!), but if they get too close, it will lose all its magic and won’t be able to report back to Father Christmas. Disaster! If they do accidentally touch their Elf, they’ll have to write a letter to Father Christmas to say sorry, or else they can try sprinkling some cinnamon on the Elf and hope for the best that the Elf’s powers will come back the next day. (Psst! … they’ll know it’s worked if the Elf is in a new spot the next morning!)
Is the Visiting Elf Christmas tradition right for your family?
Although there are many families who love the festive excitement that a Visiting Elf brings to the run up to Christmas, that’s not the case for everyone. But how do you know and how can you choose? Well, we’ve asked Father Christmas to write a list (he’s very good at that!) to help you decide …
Of course, there are no real rules for having a Visiting Elf. It’s totally up to you how you decide to do it. You can choose to put your own family twist on things or adapt it to suit your family’s personality … e.g. your Elf can just observe what your kids like to play with and then report back (or not!) or they can just ‘be there’ and not move at all. And if you like the idea of the game of a Visiting Elf, but you find the doll a bit too much, why not try our magical alternative – the Mouse in the House game … it’s just as much fun and, best of all, it’s completely free!
Or how about our Magical Advent Calendar – Personalised Elf Letters. It’s brand new each year, you only need one per family and it works brilliantly with or without an Elf …
And if you need some North Pole Magic to help explain to your child(ren) why you won’t be having a visiting Christmas Elf this year … this personalised No Elf Excuse Letter is perfect:
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