Elf IdeasIt’s that time again…time to bid farewell to your Elf on the Shelf for the year. If your Scout Elf needs a creative way to say goodbye to your family, they’re in the right spot. There are seven goodbye elf ideas below perfect for saying, “Cheerio.” Scout Elves—get inspired and use one of these departure ideas to plan your final surprise of the year!
Frosty Farewell
Your Scout Elf departed with Santa, but not before leaving a frosty farewell display on the window for you to find!
Materials:
- Printer
- Card stock/paper
- Printables
- Scissors
- Spray snow
Instructions:
- Your elf will print and cut out the printable.
- They will use spray snow to spray their outline, so you can see where they departed to follow Santa.
Special Delivery to Santa
It’s that time again…your Scout Elf printed this special packing slip to show they’re ready for their flight back to the North Pole!
Materials:
- Color printer
- Card stock/paper
- Printable
- Scissors
- Tape
Instructions:
- Your elf will print and cut out the printable.
- They will fold it around themself and tape it together.
- You can wish them safe travels before they return to Santa featuring their special packing slip.
The Elf on the Shelf® Departure Letter Board
It’s time to depart, but before they go, your Scout Elf will leave you a special message on this free printable letter board!
Materials:
- Printer
- Card stock/paper
- Printable
- Scissors
Instructions:
- Your elf will print and cut out the printable.
- They’ll pose next to their letter board and wait for you to see their message.
Up, Up and Away
It’s time for your Scout Elf to take off after a wonderful season spent with you! They’ll say, “Toodle-loo” while hanging on to a bunch of balloons.
Materials:
- Balloons
- Tape
- String
Instructions:
- Your elf will blow up several balloons and tie them to strings.
- They will tape the balloons to the wall, then wrap the strings around one hand to hang from them, so they don’t fly too far away before you can say goodbye!
The Elf on the Shelf® Departure Crossword
The time has come for your Scout Elf to return to the North Pole, but not before they get in a last word! Check out this crossword display featuring special goodbye messages for you to find.
Materials:
- Color printer
- Card stock/paper
- Printable
- Scissors
- Tape
Instructions:
- Your elf will print and cut out the printable.
- They will arrange the letter tiles to spell out the words as seen in the example image, or they will create their own arrangement using the various printable phrases.
- They will wait for you to find their creative crossword, a special ode to their time spent with you.
The Elf on the Shelf® Goodbye Poem
It’s rhyme time! Your Scout Elf wrote a special goodbye poem to leave with you before departing back to the North Pole.
Materials:
- Color printer
- Card stock/paper
- Printable
- Scissors
Instructions:
- Your elf will print and cut out the printable.
- They will sit next to their sweet Goodbye Poem and wait for you to read it.
Instant Memories
Before they head back to the North Pole, your Scout Elf left behind keepsake photos for you to remember their elfventures from this season!
Materials:
- Printer
- Card stock/paper
- Printable
- Scissors
- Tape/glue
- Pictures of elf ideas from the season
- Clothespins
Instructions:
- Your elf will prepare for this setup by taking pictures of their elf ideas leading up to Christmas.
- To execute this idea, your elf will print out the photos they’ve been collecting.
- Then, they’ll print and cut out the printable.
- They will tape the frames around the snapshots.
- After, they will use clothespins to clip the pictures to a string.
- Lastly, they’ll hang on the Holiday Hook among the sweet photo keepsakes.
Still need additional inspiration? See other Elf on the Shelf departure ideas.
Before you or your elf get to work recreating any of these inspirational photos, be sure to read these safety warnings. Santa wants to make sure everyone stays safe!