Make Your Elf Letters from the North Pole More Magical …

My Christmas Elf letters came about because as a child I’d only heard (or did I make them up?) snippets about what went on in the North Pole. I was desperate to know more. In fact I really just wanted to be there myself and see it all first hand and have the ultimate Christmas experience. I had endless questions (which are answered in our letter from the North Pole funnily enough!): what do the elves in Lapland eat, what does the workshop smells like, where are the logs for the fire kept, what is it like there in the summer, do the elves work ALL the time, where is the sleigh kept, who designs the toys, how does Father Christmas know where we are, how do reindeer fly, who looks after the reindeer, do they even need looking after, what colour are Father Christmas’ pyjamas, are Elves good or naughty, do Elves ever sleep, how do letters get sent, what other jobs do they have to do, do they sleep at night or during the day, what do their bedrooms look like? And so it went on.  I drove my mum mad with all my questions.

Nothing beats actually being there, but our Christmas Elf Letters are nearly as good: a window into the magical, warm and cosy world of Christmas.  A world full of Magical Wind Machines, Cinnamon Mines, inventions, baking, Sizzle Spots, chaos, excitement, laughter & unexpected friendships…

You can make of your Christmas Elf letters what you like.  A couple of years ago I had the idea that I wanted to supply cute little bags filled with things ‘from the North Pole’ that people could pop inside the envelopes with their letters.  I bought a ton of stuff, packed up a load of these little bags and then in the middle of the night one night, I sat up and thought – oh crikey – do I need to get clearance from someone to be able to provide these?  I did some research, spoke to a couple of people, including Trading Standards, and the unanimous answer from the powers that be, was that I would have to spend £1,000s to have it all assessed, safety checked and labelled!  So, as I’m just a Mum working from home and not a big company, that idea had to be shelved.  The good news is, you almost certainly have enough little things in your house already.

The Elf letters are perfect just as they are, or if you’re that way inclined, you can have loads of fun with them yourselves!  Who said Christmas was all about the kids ;)? You can incorporate them into your advent calendar, put treats / items ‘from’ the North Pole in the envelopes, or do what I do to them from time to time, and make the letters look even more handled…

Things you could do to the actual letters…

• Start colouring in the certificate, map or one of the letters.  The kids then realise they can get colouring themselves!
• Put a coffee cup stain on one of the letters.
• Stick a tiny piece of tape on a corner of an envelope.
• Stick a tiny piece of red felt to a letter
• Rip a piece out of one edge of one of the letters.
• Scrunch a letter up and then straighten it out again (this paper looks fantasticly authentic when you do this).
• Hole punch a hole and thread some ribbon through and tie a bow.
• Leave some fingerprints on one (or some).
• Smudge some soil across one of the letters.
• Paint some glittery nail varnish on a letter or an envelope.
• Drop some orange and cinnamon essential oil on to the letter to make it smell all Christmassy.

Children have the most incredible imagination and just love finding things that are ACTUALLY from the North Pole in with their Elfie’s Christmas Letters.

Have a riffle in your drawers and cupboards and you’ll be amazed at how quickly and easily you can find little things to put in with each of Elfie’s Christmas letters. Some things may have accidentally fallen in to their envelopes, while others may have been put there on purpose. Your kids will simply draw their own conclusions on how they got there..!
How about popping a little something in the envelopes…

• A few strands of the wood shavings that come with your Christmas Elf letters
• A piece of the candy cane cord that your box is secured with
• A piece of the sisal that your envelopes are bundled together with
• A coin for each child (2ps and 10ps work really well for the littlies)
• A paperclip
• A tiny strip of tissue paper
• A tiny sweet each
• A button
• A tiny dry leaf
• A pressed flower
• A parcel tag with a fingerprint on it
• A tiny sleigh bell
• A little twig
• A small smooth stone
• A small gem stone for each child
• Stickers
• Chocolate coins for each child
• Some strands of hay/straw if you can get some!
• A little piece of wrapping paper (not from your stash though or you’ll get caught out!)
• Some strands of tinsel
• A stick of cinnamon
• Pieces of raffia
• Pine needles
• Some glitter

Anything goes with this – have fun and please share your ideas with us all!
If you need some inspiration on where you could deliver your letters each day, I’ve made a little video here.  If you love this idea and want to leave clues for the kids to increase the excitement all the more, see ‘Clues to find your hidden Christmas Elf letters!‘

p.s. if you do decide to join us on this year’s Christmas adventure, don’t forget you’ll need to have Elfie’s Christmas Letters in your house by the 30th November for all the fun to start on the 1st December!  If you’d prefer less commitment than delivering one letter a day, then depending on the age of your child(ren), our mini 7-letter Christmas Elf Letter Bundles from the North Pole may be perfect for your family!
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