Tis the season for ELF ON THE SHELF!!!
I had so much fun organizing this giveaway two years ago – that I decided it had to be done again!!! As a gesture of gratitude for all of you and in the spirit of giving – thank you, thank you, thank you for your friendship & support here at seejaneblog and in real life. Here are twenty-eight ideas for Elf on the Shelf this year + a chance for someone lucky to WIN ALL OF IT!!!
And! Two festive printables you can use this season for your elf-ing.
The Elf (hopefully you give it a clever name!) doning BLACK FRAMED GLASSES will arrive in style it’s first day with two sets of advent calendars: Barbie and Star Wars!
Idea two: time for cocoa with copper mugs and candy cane spoons!
Idea three: Take care of your lips during the winter with candy cane chapsticks in cute tin cans (6), and prep your nails for a holiday party with Essie polish!
Idea four: We have LOVED our big jar of crayons for years – so, keep busy ALL season with supplies to color: BIG glass jar + six 120-packs of crayola crayons + coloring book + tin supply box.
Idea five: puzzle time!
Idea six: Have the Elf hiding somewhere with Balancing Blocks.
Idea seven: Game night with Blokus! A Rhodes family favorite!!!
Idea eight: The elf takes over the kitchen – with a gingerbread ninja kit + cooking attire!
Idea nine: We LOVE games – so it’s time for another one!
Idea ten: The elf needs to stay warm in a festive sweater to go fishing!
Idea eleven: Hide him somewhere good with these pop-out surprises! (one, two)
Idea twelve: Time to cozy up to a new book – Once upon a northern night.
Idea thirteen: Watch out! The elf is flying by with his own set of wings, aviator gear, and little planes for the little ones.
Idea fourteen: I hope your Christmas tree is up by now – so you can look at it with festive 3-d glasses!
Idea fifteen: The elf brings a friend to visit – a melting elf!
Idea sixteen: The elf brings more friends… only this time, you have to put them together! four PIPEROIDS.
Idea seventeen: With all this company… maybe someone needs a tic-tac?
Idea eighteen: The elf is a social creature – this time Barbie comes to visit with a new set of modern furniture! And, matching retro glasses!
Idea nineteen: You can’t have a pretty friend visit without taking some selfies!!! So… elf gets out the Fujifilm INSTAX Instant Smartphone Printer + two packs of film! Say cheese!!!
Idea twenty: Time to get creative!!! Using a LOT of natural wooden beads: make necklaces! small, and big!
Idea twenty-one: Everyone loves a parade! Especially one that brings small gifts and surprises!!! Schleich animals, festive hexbug, JJ’s build-an-animal kit, and more!
Idea twenty-two: It’s almost time for Christmas!!! Time to tell the kids how they have been behaving with “Report Cards!” Download the printable here.
Idea twenty-three: More crafting!!! This time, print festive lace cards here, and using plastic yarn needles + yarn practice your sewing skills! (maybe the kids need to stay busy while parents relax from the hustle & bustle of the holidays!!!)
Idea twenty-four: Time to kendama!!!
Idea twenty-five: Is it cold where you live this time of year? Time to hide Elf in a cozy spot wrapped up in his Faribault wool blanket!
Idea twenty-six: Time to dress-up with masks for the kids and Elf!
Idea twenty-seven: Christmas Eve breakfast!!! Maybe a little gift for mom too – four place settings of gold utensils, four acacia bowls, and festive cereal!
Idea twenty-eight: The elf arrives for his last time wishing everyone a Merry Christmas with blocks, and one of his favorite treats! BON VOYAGE!!!
The giveaway is based on a family with four children – and I attempt to cater to a variety of ages: little ones – teenagers.
How to enter:
This will be instagram-based:
(1) follow @see_jane on instagram.
(2) Re-post the very first image in this post (also found on my IG account) on your personal IG account.
(3) Hash Tag #seejaneelf
One out-take:
Hova, the cute puppy elf-photo-bomber:
puppy NOT included in the giveaway.
That is it. I will announce the winner on the bottom of this post, and my instagram account on Monday, November 24th. I would like to ship ALL of this to the winner that morning, hoping they will be able to receive it by Thanksgiving, and start their elfing soon after!!! You are welcome to leave comments below – begging, pleading, and/or explaining in more depth why you should be the winner, or someone else. I welcome stories. Good Luck! xo.
***
I wish I could send you all a box of these treasures, but since that isn’t possible – HUGS, HUGS, HUGS!
THE WINNER IS: SARAH THOMPSON. I’ll be in touch with you soon in regards to delivery!!! CONGRATS! xo.
this giveaway is closed.
Photography & Styling by: Me, Jane Rhodes and Tregan Johnson – the owner of our cute puppy photobomber.
jane! this is the greatest thing everrrrrr. i’m looking but don’t see it on your IG yet (can someone say EXCITED!?). i’ll wait with bated breath.
This is probably the worlds greatest giveaway ever!! Here’s to hoping I can win in for my two little guys– cough cough me. Haha.
Xo
i was literally just thinking someone should sell a MONTH LONG elf on the shelf kit and BAM there you have it – 28 brilliant ideas! would love to win but greatly appreciate the ideas as well. ps – last year we had a slam dunk idea – our elf zip lining across our living room – it was rigged so when they stepped on the stairs the elf went ZIP – the kids went CRAZY. 🙂
My girls would die over all of this stuff! It would make our December so dreamy especially after having to be so far away from all our family this year. I love your blog and IG and I’m so happy I found you a few months ago! I’m private so I hope the giveaway still works for me. Fingers crossed!!
Oh sweet jane!! You know I love jane giveaways but this is the ultimate!!! I need this in such a bad way! Should I plead the burn survivor card and how we spent our holiday season in the hospital last year?!! Ok I won’t totally use that but just a smidge. Hee hee!
My ivy (along with my other kiddos) adore our little buddy and it is so magical to us! They fully look forward for his arrival and his daily antics! We would love to win something this fantastic!!
Great ideas!!!
Oh and that Hova makes me want another pup! For reals!!!
This would be so awesome for my 7 year old. He’s been so good this year it would be nice to reward him with an awesome gift everyday! Sometimes as a single mom we have to forgo some things, but this would make his day!
Wow! This is something! We’ve had our elf, Pinkie, for many years-long before The Elf hit celebrity status. Our barely three year old son named him? her?
Pinkie gives us about 25 days of wonderment and surprise each year. Imagine how delighted our kiddos would be if Pinkie arrived with this gargantuan heap of goodies this year. They would be over the moon thrilled with excitement!
This is such a great giveaway. My son is 8 and this would be so much fun for us! Our ideas are starting to get worn out and my husband and I may start drinking now or drawing straws to see who gets to help the elf relocate. Love this giveaway.
New follower via IG
oh please pick us. my family of four and two fur babies have yet to meet our elf. we would love him and name him well! warm wishes and a merry christmas to you.
I’m giddy! Love, love, LOVE this giveaway! (I’m new to this whole Elf on a Shelf tradition, and this post has inspired me to go all out with it!)
I would LOVE to start this tradition with my new daughter! This will be our first Christmas as a family of three. Even though she is still so young but this is something that will be so special to win! I love following you and I love all of your creative ideas! Thank you for doing this giveaway!
Ever since I started to read blogs, I have followed and unfollowed so many. However, I have always loved your blog because we have 2 kids close to the same age as 2 of yours. I love all of your ideas including the Elf on the Shelf ideas. My daughter is somewhat obsessed with her Elf on the Shelf. She writes little notes all year long and already has gifts waiting This year she dressed up as one! So cute! You’ll have go check it out on Instagram! Anyways, she was my baby for 7 years until this past summer. We had a little surprise baby that has blessed our family tremendously, but has also taken some of my one on one time with her. I don’t often enter contests, but I think this would be amazing for her and save me a ton of time! Thanks so much for the inspiration!
This is seriously awesome! I would love to win this incredible giveaway but regardless thank you for putting these amazing ideas together. My son, ironically named JJ cannot get enough of the Christmas season – everything is so real and full of wonder and magic. He would be over the moon for the Instax printer! One of his constant requests: can you PLEASE print that picture out for me. Admittedly, I don’t always make it happen. The printer would make it easier and bring much delight to his heart! His little sister would enjoy it all too! This momma can’t get over the elf sweater and I love the goodies you put in there for us like the bitty bowls and gold utensils. Thanks again for the awesome giveaway. I’m entered and my fingers are crossed!
My two kids would be thrilled to find this little guy around the house every morning! Here’s hoping we win!
love this giveaway!! love the elf on a shelf concept but never wanted to spend the $ due to “life.” if i win however… it’s game on with the elf 🙂
thanks for the chance!
I keep trying to follow your Instagram account so I can enter, but it won’t let me:( I’d really love to win!
Annamarie – what is your IG name???
Anna_marie_nielson … Thank you!!!!
I love this giveaway you are the best! I’m SO glad to see your back on your blog!! I can’t follow you on Instagram?? It says “no posts” and when I click follow it automatically unclicks?? Maybe I’m blocked from when you decided to go more private last time?? :(.. I want this giveaway sooooo bad though. My kids want a boy elf on the shelf soooooo bad. I also really suck at doing all the cute fun ideas. So I can use all the help I can get 🙂 and then I could be a cooler mom in December.
Can I just tell you that we tried the whole Elf thing a couple of years ago when my oldest was just 2 1/2 and she FREAKED THE F OUT!! She just kept yelling “It’s not real! It’s not real!” And we all almost died of laughter while that poor child just stared at it in fear. Horrible. I had to admit to her that it was not in fact real, like she said, and then we locked his little butt up somewhere and haven’t been able to find him since. Wouldn’t you know it, She came home from school last week (she’s 5 now) and begged me to get an elf. Turns out she doesn’t remember the first one (thank God!). Here’s to trying ..again! haha
You have such amazing ideas! I only have two kiddos, but I am sponsoring a homeless family with 2 kids for the holiday season. I would love to get them going with an Elf on the Shelf of their own. My kids would fall in LOVE with all of your ideas!! Plus, can you imagine a family with little to nothing having the time of their lives with this?! Win or lose, you have sparked my excitement for “elfing”! Bonus: my son just picked out new black framed glasses for himself. 🙂
Omg!!! This is the greatest cutest giveaway ever!! We are starting the elf on the shelf tradition this year and would love to go out in year one with a bang!!! happy holidays ♡♡
Anna_marie_nielson …. Thank you!!!
I would love to follow you on insta to enter, but it won’t let me?
Haley – what is your IG name???
haleystone. Thank you!!
Jane do we need to be public on IG to get a chance to win? This is my first giveaway ever in the history of giveaways so I want to do it right!!
no… you can have a private account. Just post it and hash tag still, and leave a comment on MY IG saying you have a private account. I understand privacy. 😉
All I have to say is this is the most magically magic thing ever!!
That, and we currently have no elf and seeing as this is the first year my littles have asked for one—I would LOVE to win this and do it up big.
I’m thinking that since I got engaged on Christmas Day last year—this will be Santa’s year of sending an elf to watch over us as we celebrate Christmas as a family for the first time. My man is all about the holidays and he would get the biggest kick out of doing this with our four kids. I can already forsee the shenanigans
oh please please please PLEASE pick me!! i have been consumed by a house remodel for the past year and a half and am still not done. i have not been the mother i want to be in that time. at all. this giveaway would give me 28 days of amazing activities to do with my kids. it would help me be the kind of mother i want to be again. i need this! ok that’s my begging and pleading. xo.
oh jane!
you are the most generous person I know.
My instgram name is jaim23 I can follow either. Thanks!
I am submitting on my daughter’s behalf. For her 4 year old daughter who would lalalooove an Elf! Her mama works nights as an ICU nurse and goes to school full time as well to be a nurse practitioner. I, or she for that matter, have never won anything! I would love to win this for her. She is the best little mama and I am so proud of her! Surprises are so much fun and our Elsie Pearl would just adore it!
Would love this for my sweet daughter. It has been a rough year for our family due to my health problems, I would love to do something so extravagant, special, and awesome like this for her! P.S. So glad you are back to blogging!!
Wow, this is Amazing!! I have 5 kids between 11 and 1. We were given an elf 4 years ago and after reading them the story we began this Christmas tradition in our home. My kids love waking up each morning to find him! Luckly, they are easy to please because as much as I would love to have a fun and creative elf ours is not! He has never done anything beyond move to a new location each day. Last year my kindergardener had an elf in his classroom that brought them treats and did silly things, so he would occasionally ask why ours didn’t. I always say that next year I’ll be better, but with the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season I just don’t find the time. This would definitely be magical in our home!
What a fun giveaway! I am a new follower on instagram and so happy to have found your blog. I reposted the image as well 🙂
I’d love to win this for my 18 month old daughter, as this is the first year we planned to start the Elf on the Shelf tradition with her. The past few months have been filled with multiple tragedies in our life, including three sudden and very unexpected deaths in our immediate family — one by suicide (my father in law) and two by fatal car accident, which was oddly on the one-year anniversary of a tragic death which happened the year before. Last year during the week of Thanksgiving, we were attending a funeral for my husband’s older brother, and this year we will be doing the same for my cousin and her 6 year old daughter who were both killed in a car accident last weekend.
The holidays are a joyful time but still very hard with the recent loss of 3 close loved ones and although my daughter is too young to understand, my husband and I are grieving amidst day to day life. I’d love to win to have something to get excited about and look forward to doing with our daughter after we wrap up a difficult start to December at funerals.
I’ve read all the other Mama’s comments as well and see how deserving everyone is. No matter who wins, it is such a beautiful gift and so generous! I’m excited to be following along 🙂
Oh boy oh boy oh boy! With all the excitement you’d think I was the one excited for the elf… Ok, I am! Ha! Id looove to win this for my son. (Stepson). He’s six and has recently really got into the elf on a shelf at his moms house. So much so that he believes if you touch him all the magic goes away (gotta love the minds of the creator! Brilliant!) so his mom wouldn’t dare try to sneak the elf over to our house in his bag that he brings when he stays with us 1/2 the week. He’s really sad that his elf didn’t come to daddy’s house last year but mr elf just wasn’t in the budget as I was expecting (another boy!) and now I am at stay at home momma to the two. Id love to have “his elf” make it to daddy house this year too! And with all these great ideas and gifts to make the month fun, I think I could splurge and make sure his elf doesn’t miss a day here 😉 please pick me so our little guy can have some fun gifts at mommy and daddy’s house with his elf! Id love to give his mother mama 1/2 these since she works so hard and is gone a lot. It would make it easier on her also. Pretty pretty please!
Oh boy! I just noticed that you will also be sending the elf! I about died! What a blessing! We’re being very thrifty this year and I would love love love to win this!!
What a great giveaway. If I won I would take a lot of these items to the local
Children’s hospital and woman’s shelter. It’s so nice to give back.
Thank you for doing this.
What a wonderful giveaway! I love your blog and would love to follow you on Instagram but it’s not working for me either. My insta name is maddiesweitzer thanks!
all of these are amazingly wonderful for Christmas gifts! Wish we could be the lucky winner! Thank you for this chance~
Oh man what an awesome giveaway. The creativity and attention to detail are amazing. I’ve got three cute little girls that would die if we won. Here’s to hoping for a Christmas miracle… Thanks
We began our Elf on the Shelf (EOTS) journey last year and boy, oh boy, was it A HIT with my littles (5 and 3 yo girls then)! They were giddy with anticipation every night, minded their p’s and q’s so Sparkles would give shining reports to Santa regarding their behavior, and loved the shenanigans that Sparkles greeted them with each morning. While the girls were all about EOTS, it was mom and dad that really loved being able to make magic happen for so many days during the Christmas season. We’re excited to keep this train a-rollin’ this year now that little brother can get in on the fun too. We had our little elfie do some go big, or go home fun last year, so this post was a hopeful sight for me to top ’13! Please, oh please, send this beautiful package to the 307 (Wyoming, yo)! If you make our day, we’ll IG the heck out of #seejaneelf for sure!
Would love to enter (and WIN!), but I’ve never been able to follow you on IG. 🙁 It says you have no posts and immediately turns off the green “follow” button right after I press it. I’ve contacted IG about this when it happened with a friend’s account, but never heard back. Bummer! My username is missusdub if that helps.
Oh Jane….would that I could enter this year (my kiddos still remember the awesome advent!), but I don’t have an Instagram account. Really no point for me – that amazingly low-tech flip phone I have doesn’t take any instant pictures. haha! This would be an amazing thing for us this year – it’s been the most difficult year we’ve had, what with a surprising diagnosis for the wee one, multiple ER visits and appliance after appliance breaking down. BUT – I’m sure there is someone who could surely use a pick-me-up more than my little family. We are SO blessed in so many other ways. Thanks for your goodness and generosity! Hugs!
This would be amazing! You are so kind and generous to do this. Any lucky winner will have the best Elf this year! If given the chance to win, I’d take note and pay it forward next year as best as I could!
That’s for the opportunity.
This would be amazing if I won! I have put off buying an elf on the shelf. We were given an “imitation” elf but my kiddos have been wanting the “real deal”!!! Such a fun idea by such a generous person!
PS I know you through a friend. (Becky) and we have some things in common (thyroid cancer). I live in LA area but next time I am in Utah and get together with Becky, I would love to meet you!:-)
Admittedly, i have not been a huge fan of the elf on the shelf, but these ideas are changing my mind. They look so fun! Plus, my oldest really wants an elf, but we just can’t fit it in our budget. This is such an awesome prize for one lucky family! Thanks.
Erin
What the elf?!
This is so much elfing fun!
We’ve never done elf on a shelf! This would be a very helpful kit to get us started and enjoy some elfing fun! It would save my mom brain from anymore stress and over working having to think all this up! Love it. Dashing on over to your instagram now!
P.s. pick me!
Can you enter if you live in the UK?
Rosie – yes! xo.
Hi there, I came over from Kelly Jensen and now I’m following on IG. This giveaway is wow wow wow! I have 3 girls and a boy 8,7,4 and 1 and they would be in heaven with this.
This is seriously the cutest!!! I keep looking through it, again and again! What I wouldn’t do to win! I love everything that is festive and we are a huge festive family…so many cute ideas!!!
What an amazing giveaway! We have had our elf for three years now. I think it is the highlight of the season for our kids!!! I have never been creative with it. We just hide it. But I would love to win!!! It would bring so much joy to our home! Thank you!!!
Such a wonderful giveaway!!! I would love this for my kids! They would love it! It’s been a little tight this year with money so this would be so wonderful! Thanks for this opportunity!
have wanted to start the elf tradition in our home. what a great way to get started. these are amazing ideas, thanks!
My kids would be in heaven. what a fun tradition to start with them. your ideas and styling make it all look so magical, that is the most fun part of this season with kids
Oh my goodness, your styling and ideas make this all seem easy and wonderful! My kids would be so in to this, have thought about starting this tradition, you make it look so doable and fun! thanks!
Oh my goodness what an amazing giveaway, and even more amazing are the great ideas for elf!!! Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year! I’ve grown up with the spirit of Christmas within me and passing that along to my children is so exciting and this would help me do that! Not to mention I have a new little girl that’s 1 and she is going to love Christmas this year!!
I love all of these ideas and will copy. I am on the fence about entering because all of my kids friends are on instagram and they are at the age where they still believe but many of their classmates don’t. What a generous giveaway…I hope this all comes back to you tenfold…Kindness boomerang!
I haven’t been able to follow you on Instagram on my account since you went private a while ago, but I follow your blog so I can see all of your amazingness. You are so creative and I appreciate that you share all of your fun ideas with people you don’t even know. You really are so talented. I would love to win this elf giveaway. I have never done the elf thing because I’ve never felt creative enough to do it. This is the best giveaway I have ever seen and my kids would die over this. Maybe I’ll try and follow you through my daughters account and post on hers 🙂
Dana – what is your IG profile name???
amygrob
I thought I was already following you on IG but apparently I’m not and your account won’t let me follow….help!
Jen – what is your IG profile name?
Bretandbrooke
Hi there! I love, love this and all of the other creative genius things that you do. I would love to follow you on IG again, too. But, it acts like I’m blocked and won’t let me. I saw a few others with the same issue here – so at least I’m hoping/thinking now that it wasn’t just me!
You are a sweetheart. I’d swoop up this whole thing in a second.
PS. My IG username is: suthrngirl7
I hope that helps!
This is the most magical giveaway! Hope I win!!! My husband and have so much fun making this memory for our son.
Bretandbrooke
Dear Jane,
My story started almost 3 years ago when I got married. As soon as we got married we started trying to have kids because I knew my body was going to struggle. After 2 years went by 3 miscarriages and thousands of dollars spent on fertility treatments we decided to try out a new route! We now have 2 little boys in our home through foster care and are separated from their 2 sisters in other homes. They have been in the system for a year now and we are hoping to make this a Christmas for them to remember! We are trying to find new things on a budget that will be fun for them. When I saw your post of your give away my heart just dropped and thought maybe just maybe this could be that one thing that goes all month long that they would remember forever. I know there are a lot of stories out there and people who would appreciate it but I don’t know anyone else who needs a Christmas to remember more than my boys. This elf on the shelf isn’t for me its for them. To give them something to look forward to every morning during this beautiful season! Thanks for considering our family.
Love, Julie, Tyler, Little man and Little boy (I can’t post names)
We love elf on the shelf at our house. My kids have been asking when he’ll come this year. My husband was always in charge of our elf and was so creative. Unfortunately he suffered a brain injury 2 years ago in January. I now get to take care of him and help him with everything. Last Christmas I tried to be fun with our elf but in pared in comparison to previous years. This giveaway would be incredible to win as we could have our fun elf back. I still plan on copying several of the ideas. Not to mention my daughter loves Barbie and my sons have been begging for the Star Wars advent calendar since they saw it. I don’t even think Santa would need to come after all these fun gifts. 🙂 Thank you.
I posted on IG also, but this giveaway is SO cool!!! I am constantly amazed by other peoples creativity, especially when it comes to the Elf! I am a full time working mommy, working two jobs to make the ends meet. My hubby works 60+ hours a week, so our time together is so special. I can’t say I’m any mor deserving than others who have entered, but would be EXSTATIC to win this!
So sad I missed this giveaway, but I would love to follow you on IG again too. My IG name is nifferkimber. Thanks!