This is our first year with an elf on the shelf and our North Pole Breakfast introduction was quite the hit. I made a list of ideas for each day before December even started so I'm well prepared. Oddly enough, my first night I was stumped as to what to do with Buddy since my list was a little overwhelming at first.
I plan to post his adventures here mostly as a way for me to keep track of what I've done but also a small way to maybe pay forward all of my Pinterest research.
Day 1: Christmas in the kitchen
This was a quite simple task, two bags of Christmas bows from the Dollar Tree and voila...done! The problem is you get what you pay for at the Dollar Tree and the bows didn't stay stuck. I had to keep sticking them up repeatedly. I finally gave up and just told Addison Buddy the elf was throwing the bows at us. She fell for it and was even tickled by it, would give a little giggle every time a bow fell. I asked her what he was doing and she said, "he's just hanging out".
Day 2: Marshmallow "Bubble" Bath - aka hot tubbin'
Tupperware + mini marshmallows = hot tubbin'. I put him in the window sill of the bathroom because I'm still worried about her touching him and we can't have Buddy losing his magic. She stumbled into the bathroom this morning and was just bleary eyed staring at him when I got there. I asked her what he was doing and she said, "that buddy the elf is silly mommy" then proceeded with her normal morning routine.
Day 3: Snack attack
Buddy the elf went head first in the cookie jar. Who can resist Candy Cane Joe Joes?!? I know I can't, hello holiday weight gain. If only Buddy could have helped me eat the Candy Cane Joe Joes being I ate the whole box myself!
Day 4: Hanging on the Chandelier
Tiredly climbing into bed I realized I forgot to move Buddy so here he is hanging form the chandelier in the dining room. When Addison woke up, I asked her where she thought Buddy was and she said with certainty that he was in our bathroom. We looked but didn't find him there. I guided her toward the dining room and she never saw him. I finally said, "why don't we look in the dining room?" and she looked at me like I was speaking German. Apparently, I've never actually referred to the dining room as the dining room. At any rate, we ventured in the dining room and I eventually had to point him out to her. This one got only a giggle out of her.
Day 5: In the tree
This was the first day I actually forgot to move Buddy. Brandon and I were already in bed, I was dozing off when I remember and asked Brandon to go move him. He had no ideas so I just said, stick him in one of the trees. He managed to knock a crystal off of the chandelier which landed loudly on the dining room table and remainder there until the next afternoon when I replaced it...gotta love our men! Again, Addison never spotted him on his own, simple smirk was her response to Buddy this morning.
Day 6: Decorating family pictures
I'd seen this idea on Pinterest and like most of my Pinterest projects, the results didn't quite turn out how I expected. I used dry erase markers to color on our family picture but they weren't very dark and hard to even tell. I added a beard and glasses to Brandon, glasses and a silly necklace to myself, drew Addison as a kitty cat and added some holly to the corners for good measure. This was the first time she seemed truly tickled by Buddy's adventures. We had dinner guests over and she even told our friends, "look...Buddy made me kitty!" Of course, I had to point him out to her but once she saw it she really liked this one.
Day 7: Hanging with the ladies
I want to say this was the first location she noticed on her own. I was nervous because it was also the first location within her reach. As soon as she woke up, she was standing in the hallway and could see into the playroom and immediately said, "look at Buddy!". She came in the playroom and said "we can't touch him" which relieved my concerns about his location.
Day 8: Swinging
This one was quite the challenge...another Pinterest find and a real pain in the bottom! I haven't altered our Elf on the Shelf in any way so he isn't very pose-able and this was the first real challenge. Apparently some folks have added wiring to his extremities to make him more pose-able but I have not ventured there yet. I used a toilet paper roll and some tulle and hung him from the door frame in her bathroom. I had to get some help from Brandon to hang him up and then he bailed on me when Buddy wouldn't cooperate. She woke up in the middle of the night this night and he caught her attention in her sleepy walk back to her bedroom so I figured the morning would be a hit. Yes, as soon as she was in her doorway, she said "look at Buddy, he's silly!". Brandon even said that evening when he was bathing her, she instructed him to duck when coming in the bathroom.
Day 9: Zip Lining
Since I already has him hanging from the red tulle, I just took off the toilet paper roll and found a location with distance. I tied one end to the light fixture and attached the other with tape to the mirror. Here he is zip lining in the foyer over our advent calendar.
Day 10: Reading a Christmas Story
This was another easy one...had a late night at my niece's Christmas band concert and remember as I was getting ready for bed. I always keep a few books on the bottom of our bookshelf in the den and swapped them out for Christmas books making this super simple. Buddy propped up with a sweet little book about the birth of Jesus.
I'll continue to update as the month goes on...so far we are having fun with Buddy. Our local newspaper is running an "Elf of the Shelf Photo Contest" and are heavily marketing the contest. Addison noticed one of the billboards the other day and said "Look Mommy, it's Buddy!" with such excitement to which I responded, "yep, he's always watching!" in my mean Mommy voice since she had been a little naughty that day. It seems like she's getting into it as the month goes on.
Day 11: Hanging out in a stocking
This was another easy one...surprised how quickly I got lazy. What's lazier than in the stocking...I'm sure I'll figure out something lazier at some point!
Day 12: Sipping on Syrup
Addison would have never ever found Buddy the Elf this day if I didn't intentionally leave the refrigerator door open and ask for her to look for something in there. She got a kick out of this one.
Day 13: Suit of Armor
My work Christmas party was this night in New Orleans and my mom called me all in a panic asking about moving Buddy. I wasn't too worried about it but she thought she should keep up the antics. This was her move...sitting in the suit of armor in our foyer. We spent the night in New Orleans and my mom stayed with Addison, not sure of her response but she did make a point to show me where he was when we got home the next day.
Day 14: Tree with all the Trimmings
Buddy gifted Addison with her own little Christmas tree in her room. We found the tree and all the mini trimmings at Hobby Lobby at 50% off. We were shopping together at Walmart and saw mini trees there and she really wanted one. I didn't get one then/there since she was with me and was glad I didn't...less expensive at Hobby Lobby 50% off.
He also brought her a little Christmas craft (thank you Hobby Lobby) of a gingerbread house with stickers for decorating. I'm a little OCD when it comes to these things and was glad Brandon helped her out with this one. All those little foam stickers would have made me crazy!
Day 15: Snowball Fight with Disney Princess
I'm pretty sure this was my favorite. I found the marshmallows for s'mores that we used at the North Pole Breakfast as "elf pillow". They worked perfectly for a marshmallow fort for Buddy to use as protection in his domination of the Disney Princesses. This was Ariel's' last stand.
Addison got a kick out of this one...I almost goofed that day since I originally set it all up on the kitchen island only to remember the housekeeper was coming and would obviously need to clean the kitchen. I frantically moved it to the freezer before she got out of bed...whew, close call!
Day 16: Snow Angel
I saw this one all over Pinterest and thought it looked really sweet but could potentially be a big ole mess! I made a tray from aluminum foil and used the "snow" we made at a recent birthday party for our friend Lanie. Truthfully, it was quite the mess, Buddy didn't come clean so easily. Let's say it took a good bit of dusting (aka beating) to get him clean.
Day 17: Christmas Coloring Book
I separated Buddy's hands for the snow angel and then wondered what now?!? I used some adhesive Velcro on his hands to make this work. Picked it up at Hobby Lobby - adhesive on one side, Velcro on the other and voila!
Day 19: Countdown to Christmas
We found Buddy in the playroom with her magnets this morning. He has cleverly put a countdown in the magnets...thanks for the reminder Buddy.
Day 20: Holding Baby Jesus
I thought this was a nice way to remember the reason for the season. Buddy holding Baby Jesus situating in our nativity scene.
Day 21: Happy birthday Millie!
Buddy celebrated Millie's birthday on the 22nd of December. He brought Millie a sweet little pupcake and a new purple bone.
I'm pretty sure Addison was way more excited than Millie. She gave her the pupcake then read a birthday book to her.
Millie seemed to enjoy her new bone but destroyed it in less than 5 minutes!
Day 22: Christmas Movie Marathon
We woke up to Buddy finishing up a Christmas movie marathon on this morning. He was setup with all of our Christmas movies and a little bowl of popcorn.
Day 23: Christmas Eve - Reindeer Food
Buddy delivered some reindeer food and a sweet message saying his goodbyes on Christmas Eve. I'm not sure she really understood that he was leaving. His note indicated that she could touch him this one to give him a hug and kiss goodbye, which she did, but the next day asked where he was.
I had such a good time with Buddy - no one else sits this still for me to photograph at our house. He will be missed - until next year Buddy!
