At first, coming up with creative Elf on the Shelf ideas is a fun challenge, but as the month of December goes on (and your holiday to-do list looms overhead), it starts to feel a little more like a chore. Thankfully, there are a lot of great lazy and easy Elf on the Shelf ideas that parents can quickly put together before they go to bed at night that will still leave the kids amazed in the morning. After all, who says every elf has to be Pinterest-perfect anyway?
When you first got your Elf on the Shelf doll, you were probably so excited to change its location every night so that when the kids woke up the next morning it would be clear that Santa’s helper was up to no good. It doesn’t take long for that excitement to wane though, and it’s hard enough to stay creative during a single holiday season, let alone multiple (and with multiple kids). For some parents, that pesky doll is a lot to take on, and having some lazy Elf on the shelf ideas in your back pocket just makes life a little bit easier.
So, if you’ve exhausted all of your creativity and just need a quick and easy setup for your scout tonight, here are some ideas to help you out.
A Little Rock Climbing
If you have some holiday gift wrapping to do, chances are high you have some stick-on bows lying around somewhere that you can use to recreate this lazy Elf on the Shelf idea. Just stick a few on the wall, use some tape to pose your elf to look like it’s climbing a rock wall, and you’re all set. If you happen to have some extra energy, you can scale this idea up a bit by tying some ribbon around the elf’s waist and running it up to the ceiling to make it look like your doll can safely repel back to the ground once it has reached the peak of the wall.
A Yogi Elf
Look, it doesn’t matter if you’re an expert yogi or not, we can all agree that one of the best poses is child’s pose, right? Let your elf get in on the relaxation by setting it up on a towel for some yoga at night. This person also hung a sign to advertise their elf yoga studio, which you can easily recreate using your computer or by simply drawing it out. You also have the option to scale this one up by putting the elf in front of the fire for some truly hot yoga, or scaling it down and letting the elf hang out in one of the other universally loved poses: savasana.
Relaxing In A Bath
This is by far one of the easiest Elf on the Shelf ideas out there. All you need is a sink and a bag of mini marshmallows to make it happen. Just plug up the drain, set your elf in the sink, and then pour the marshmallows over the top to make them look like bubbles in a bath. If you feel like adding a little extra touch to the scene, but still want it to be low-effort, just pop a couple of your kid’s bath toys in for some flair.
Chilling In The Christmas Tree
It seriously doesn’t get much easier than this. Take your elf, find a bare spot on the Christmas tree, and perch the doll right there. You’ll want to make sure it’s at or around eye level for your kid and that it’s not tucked too far into the branches, otherwise it may be too hard for them to find it. Of course, if your kids are a little older, you can make it a little more challenging by snuggling it next to some red ornaments to camouflage it a little bit. Either way, though, this setup requires minimal effort.
A Quarantined Elf
Until Covid becomes a thing of the past, you can still use quarantining to your advantage come Elf on the Shelf time. Grab a jar and tuck your elf in it for a few nights with a note letting the kids know that it was accidentally exposed to the virus and needs to keep the family safe. Admittedly, this idea is best for kids under 5 who can’t get the vaccine yet, but if you can get away with it, it gives you a few nights off from moving the little guy.
Doing Some (Gold)Fishing
If there is one thing most parents have stocked in their pantry, it’s Goldfish crackers. Pour a few into a little bowl and set the elf up next to it with some kind of string to make it look like it’s fishing. A craft pipe cleaner would work really well for this since it’s posable, but you can also wrap a paperclip or some other bendable wire in yarn or thread to create the same effect.
Napping In A Manger
Do you have a nativity scene set up in your house? If so, you have a great place for a funny Elf on the Shelf setup. In this photo, the elf treated himself to baby Jesus’ crib (and none of the shepherds or kings seem to be upset over it), but if you don’t want him taking a bed from a newborn, you can tuck the elf further back to stand among the visitors or even sit it on top of the manger to take the place of an angel. Basically, any way you can insert your elf into your nativity scene will do.
An Elf With Good Dental Hygiene
It’s quick, easy, and you already have the props you need to set your elf up to look like it’s been busy brushing its teeth all night long. To level it up a little, you can also have a tube of toothpaste sitting next to it or you can even use the toothpaste to write out a little message to your kid for when they wake up (if you have kids, your bathroom counter is probably covered in toothpaste anyway, so what’s a little more at that point?).
A Sticker Mess
There is just something about stickers that kids can’t get enough of, and if you have more sticker pages in your home than you know what to do with, then let your elf take some off of your hands. Just like in this picture, take a bunch of stickers off the sheet and cover your elf in them, then sit the doll next to the sheet so that when the kids wake up they’ll see how he got into their craft supplies overnight.
An Elf With A Sweet Tooth
Even Santa’s helpers get late-night sweet cravings, and it’s really easy to create evidence for your kids. Simply grab some cookies from the pantry and crush a few up and spread the crumbs around the elf to make it look like he was living the cookie dream overnight. If you don’t have cookies in the house, have him peeking out of an ice cream or popsicle package in the freezer or digging into your kid’s bag of leftover Halloween candy.
A Bandage-Covered Elf
What is it with kids and bandages? They absolutely love them for some reason, so it’s only natural that their little scout elf would share that love with them. Grab a box of bandages and rip a few open to put on the doll and leave the wrappers scattered around it like in this photo. Since character bandages can be pricey, you’ll probably want to opt for the inexpensive kind for this elf idea.
On A “Tree Farm”
These little Christmas tree snack cakes are a staple in a lot of homes during the holiday season, and if that’s the case for your family then you can use them to your advantage by having your elf visit a “tree farm.” If you don’t stock up on these treats around the holidays, no worries, you can also use tree-shaped cookies or even some little trees from your personal decor.
Peeking Out From The Ice Dispenser
For an easy Elf on the Shelf idea that is sure to make your kids giggle, try this one where the doll is hanging out from the ice dispenser on the fridge. Depending on your specific fridge, you may need to use some creative engineering tactics to get it up there but it’ll be worth it to have your kids come face to face with their elf like this in the morning.
Popping Out Of A Cookie Jar
Even if you don’t have a dedicated cookie jar that you keep out year-round, we all have some kind of container where we keep the cookies, candies, and other sweets that we collect around the holidays. Whatever that is for you, have your elf popping out of it to make it look like he was up late enjoying lots of sugar while everyone else slept. For something extra, sprinkle some crumbs around the jar, too.
A Hershey Kiss
For this lazy Elf on the Shelf idea, you’ll need some foil and a little ribbon of paper. Simply stand your elf up and wrap it in tin foil in the shape of a Hershey kiss. Then, write “KISSES” across the paper and stick it to the top of the foil to make your elf look like a piece of candy. You can stop here if you want, but if you happen to have some of the actual candies laying around, toss a few of them into a pile next to the elf for some extra fun.
A TPing Elf
Toilet paper continues to be a hot commodity right now, but if you think you can spare a little bit, set up a scene that makes it look like your elf was busy TPing somewhere in the house overnight. Depending on how you set this up, you may even be able to keep the roll of toilet paper intact enough to roll it back up later. Either way, it’s a fun and easy way to set up your elf and the kids will get a good laugh out of it.
Slinking Down The Stairs
For this, all you need is your elf, a set of stairs, and your kid’s slinky. Simply stick your elf through the middle of the toy and then pose it as if it’s been climbing down the stairs and the elf is doing flips with it along the way. It’s such a cute idea that will only take about a minute to set up.
Snuggled In The Sock Drawer
One of the best things about the holiday season is the warm, fuzzy socks that come along with them. Since your kid probably has way more pairs than they can wear at a time, snuggle the elf into one of them and have it hideout in your child’s sock drawer overnight. It may take your kid a little while longer to find Santa’s helper in the morning, but they’ll get a kick out of the (super easy) hiding spot when they finally track the doll down.
Hiding Out In The Fridge
Honestly, some of the best elf hiding spots are in plain sight. Kids get so preoccupied with finding the elf that they forget to look in the most obvious places, like the fridge for instance. This parent lost steam by the time Christmas rolled around and just tucked the elf in with the groceries in the fridge, and honestly, it’s a pretty solid hiding spot.
Diving Into Some Chocolate Chips
Once again, elves can’t get enough sugary sweet treats, so if you have a bag of chocolate chips laying around the house, recreate this setup with the elf diving into the bag with its legs straight up in the air. If you don’t have any chocolate chips around, then this same pose would work for any other package, like cereal, chips, or even a bag of straight sugar.
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