IF you have children – or even just know someone who has little ones – then there is every chance that you have heard about the Elf on the Shelf phenomenon.

On December 1 every year, households across the country are overtaken by mischief-making elves, who ‘spy’ on your children and report their behaviour, both good and bad, back to Santa.

It can be a good way to ensure your little darlings stay in line during the festive period, when routine goes out the window and things can get a little bit, er, crazy.

The idea is that every night in the run-up to Christmas, after the children are in bed, parents place the elf in a different location in the house, so he appears somewhere new each morning.

But many parents find themselves becoming increasingly uninspired as the long December days drag on and finding a new place to put your new little pal can be just a frustrating as trying to keep the kids in order in the first place.

So we’ve compiled this short list of novel places you can pop your elf to keep things fresh each and every day.

  • Riding on a parachute. Get some string and tie your elf to the light fixtures and he will quite literally be swinging from the ceiling. You may want to make sure you have your camera at the ready for this one – as when the kids see that their elf has been up all night paragliding, their faces are sure to be a picture!
  • Ziplining. Another fun and easy activity to have your elf take part in is ziplining. Using the same string, tie one end of the line to the top of the stairs and the other end to the bottom. Place your elf in the middle so it looks like he has been ziplining up and down the stairs to check on them throughout the night.
  • Taking a shower. Just like you and me, your Elf will need to take care of his personal hygiene. Why not place your little guy on top of the shower, so when the little ones wake up in the morning, they can be easily persuaded to have their morning wash – just like Elfie!
  • Breaking into the advent calendar Trick the kids into thinking their elf has been breaking into their advent calendar’s by placing him sat next to them with a chocolate on his lap.
  • Playing games. Let the kids think their elf has been up playing games all night by setting him up next to a family-friendly board game like connect four or Monopoly.  

Have you had any novel ideas or set ups for you Elf? We’d love to see your pictures!