The Elf on the Shelf is an amusing tradition in many households across the US, where a festive elf doll is hidden in various hiding spots throughout the house for the entire month of December leading up to Christmas.

  You may have an elf of your own, and even if you’re a bit too old for the magic of it, there is still a lot of fun you can have, especially if you get to be the one to hide it for younger siblings.

In my family, my mom has been the one to hide the elf, and she has crafted some of the most creative scenes for us to find, making the month of December filled with the joy of coming downstairs to an unexpected festive surprise.

  If you’ve ever wanted to spice up your holiday with some more out-there places for your peppermint partner, here are some of my favorite ideas my mom has done for my family in the past.

The Zipline

This one’s hilarious to come across early in the morning without prior warning. All you need to recreate this one is some toothpicks and string. Attach the cheerful chum to the toothpicks and run the line across a room in your house. Be sure to attach it higher up if you have a lot of taller residents living with you.

This one is creative, funny, but maybe a bit tedious when you have to treat it like a tripwire all day. I rate this one an 8/10.

Going Fishing 

This idea depicts your holly homie gleefully fishing for Swedish fish, and can insight a satisfactory chuckle, before plucking and eating one of the candy fish. This one is a bit more involved, as you’ll need to purchase a bag of Swedish fish to really complete the look. Assemble a fishing rod with some string and a pencil and set your frosty fellow up in a position that resembles someone fishing, and voila! 

This one is fairly simple, yet still having charm and humor. I rate this one a 7/10.

Snowball Fight

This might be the biggest surprise I have ever gotten with the Elf-on-the-Shelf in my family. This stunning scenery was carefully crafted with styrofoam and cotton balls. A decorative santa doll was also utilized here as the opponent. Use paper towels as depicted above, as this one is quite messy. I still recommend trying this one, as it is bound to get a reaction out of your parents and siblings that will make the hassle worth it.

I love everything about this idea. It’s thematically relevant, funny, grand… I rate this one a 10/10.

Drum kit 

The final design here was made for my sister, when she had a band concert. It can be made with cans covered in wrapping and construction paper, and pencils to make the cymbals. This one is very neat in terms of the craftsmanship at play. It’s also great for any drummers in the family.

The message was sweet and the drumset is very wellmade. I rate this one a 9/10.

If you want to try your hand at any of these designs, I encourage you to convince your parents to let you handle the elf this year, or, if your family doesn’t partake in this tradition, convince them to start this year and show off your skills with some creative placements! Happy Holidays!