So first of all, let’s address the elephant (or should I say elf) on the shelf ;). As moms (or dads) we are FAR from lazy. In fact, at any given point in time, there is a strong chance we are juggling 10 things at once. And the holidays?… we are easily juggling 30. From decorating, to school programs, holiday outfits, holiday shopping, wrapping, planning, photos, baking, etc… we just simply run out of time. So much so, that the thought of one more task is enough to make us want to throw in the towel all together.
This was me. I was stressed to the max and along came the idea of “Elf on the Shelf“.
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Sure, the creative side of me loved the idea. New and fun ways to incorporate this little man each and every day while my children wake happy and excited to find him… what’s not to love? The truth, EVERYTHING (at least for me)! The little man is somewhat similar to adding yet another kid during a crazy holiday season. He is messy, he creates clutter, he takes a ton of thought, and he is a huge responsibility that this tired mama just doesn’t want to deal with once I finally get the kiddos in bed at night.
The Solution
So, I came up with an idea. A lazy way to still give my children the “wonderful” experience of Elf on the Shelf while saving my sanity in the process. And so was born “The Lazy Mom’s Guide to Elf on the Shelf”.
Truth be told, my strategy has evolved through the years… ebbing and flowing based on my level of Christmas chaos. Some years requiring a bit more effort, other years requiring very minimal. Yet, here is the biggest surprise… my kids truly don’t care. They don’t care that their Elf, “Peanut Sprinkles”, as he is so eloquently named in our household, isn’t coming up with extravagant plans each and every day… they are just excited to see him regardless. Win!
Included below in “The Lazy Mom’s Guide to Elf on the Shelf”, you will find a series of tips. From the least lazy (as far as lazy can go) to the laziest of all. Enjoy!
Tip #1- Be Lazy Without Being LAZY
Let’s face it, you aren’t going to be one of those extreme Pinterest moms who create elaborate scenes for their Elf on the Shelf. BUT… you do want to come up with a fun idea. So, why not incorporate books? One of my favorite concepts with holiday books is to wrap them, the same ones each and every year. Then every morning your little Elf appears in the home at a designated location with a gift wrapped book. Your children can eagerly rip off the paper and opt to read the Christmas book that evening. Full details on how to do this here.
Tip #2- Lazy with a Touch of Effort
With this idea, you basically will take tip #1 and avoid the time and effort required to gift wrap all the books. Instead, pack away all the holiday books from the year before so they are fresh and exciting. Then each and every day dig one out and display it next to the Elf in a new location around the house. While your children won’t have the thrill of opening the wrapping paper, they will still have the excitement of seeing a book they haven’t seen in a year- personally delivered by their Elf nonetheless.
Tip #3- Lazy with the Smallest Bit of Effort
As my kiddos get older it gets harder to hide the stack of books without them finding them around the house. With the fear that they’d open a closet and see the stack of holiday books that I pull from every day and effectively be ruined of the magic, I opted this year to become even lazier. Instead of hiding the books, I display them all in their playroom/reading nook. Then each morning I will plan to grab a new one from their shelf and display it with the Elf. Similar to tip #2, but the books have already been seen this year. However, the thrill still comes from the idea that their Elf has moved them. In our household, we then say that the Elf picked that holiday book to be our book to read before bed.
Tip #4- Lazy and It Feels So Good
Feeling the urge to set it and forget it? I don’t blame you. This tip is the easiest and truly will save you from all those dreaded “I forgot to move the Elf!” nightmares so many of us face every night/early morning. With this idea, you simply place the Elf in a high/out of reach location and you never move him the entire month. Yup, couldn’t be easier. Your Elf never moves but you tell your kiddos that he very much sees their behavior and reports back to Santa at the North Pole. In other words, your Elf is a very helpful/very lazy little spy. Win!
Tip #5- The Laziest of All
Don’t do Elf on the Shelf. Yes, you heard me right. Don’t do it. Sometimes as parents we just have to draw the line, we can’t do it all… and I’m here to tell you, that is okay! You are still an amazing mama and your children are still happy and loved with or without that little man showing up each and every morning.
So there you have it, the complete “Lazy Mom’s Guide to Elf on the Shelf”.
P.S. Finding yourself stressed this holiday season? Be sure to check out my “Busy Women’s Holiday Organizational Booklet“! Complete with 8 FREE printables for download, you are bound to eliminate some stress from your holiday prep!
