Anyone else lack inspiration when looking for Elf on the Shelf Hiding Places? This list of 24 Places to Hide the Elf on the Shelf will take you all the way up to Christmas Eve!
Ok. Let's talk about the Elf. If you follow me on Instagram, then you know I'm a recovering Elf failure.
Yup, I forgot to move our Elf on the Shelf for ten days last year and for four days the year before. But this year? I'm trying AGAIN.
Clearly, I'm not a last minute type of person, so this year I did a little research and added a few new ideas to our list. I'm happy to share, I'm prepared with 24 Elf on the Shelf hiding places this year. That's enough for the entire month of December up until Christmas Eve.
If you're anything like me, go ahead and pin this now….so that your elves move each and every day!
What is the Elf on the Shelf?
Let's talk basics and info. The Elf on the Shelf is a fun family tradition that has become an internet sensation.
The jist? This cute little elf comes to your house after Thanksgiving (some people start the day after Thanksgiving and some start on December 1st)…..and is there to report back to Santa about your children's behavior.
He'll let the big man know if your children are naughty or nice, and as he monitors the house……he moves to a new spot each evening. Real talk, a couple years ago the idea of the Elf moving totally freaked Lydia out, but this year? She's excited about it!
The fun part? Kids finding the elf in a new location each morning. Thus, the need for about a million Elf on the Shelf hiding places. Ok, not a million………but if you're starting on December 1st…….you'll need 24 places or ideas. And trust me, planning in advance is key or you'll find yourself not moving the Elf for a week at a time.
Shop Elf Options:
24 Places to Hide Elf on the Shelf
- Hungry Elf: Hide your elf inside the pantry snacking on your child's favorite cereal
- Reading Elf: Place your elf on your bookshelf, reading your child's favorite bedtime story.
- Bath Tub Elf: Elves need baths too! Set your elf up with a small towel and have him or her wait next to the bubble bath bottle.
- Artsy Elf: Set up an art station filled with crayons and a christmas coloring book.Y our elf can start a piece of art for your child to finish.
- It's Cold Outside Elf: Even elves get cold! Set up a warming station for your elf with a little fire, hot chocolate, the works.
- Sleeping Elf: Put your elf to sleep on a small bed in your child's room.
- Letter to Santa: Hide your elf in the mailbox, and give him a letter to Santa to mail.
- Homework Elf: If your child is old enough to do homework, put a small pair of glasses on your elf, and set him or her up in your homework area.
- Decorating Elf: Set your elf in the Christmas tree. For extra holiday fun have him or her bring your child a new ornament each year.
- Snow Angels: Set your elf on a tray filled with flour, and let him make snow angels.
- Frozen Elf: Dress your elf in a mini scarf and blanket, and hide him in the freezer next to the ice cream.
- Driving: Sneak out to the car, and set your elf up in the drivers' seat.
- Laundry Elf: Let your elf sneak into the laundry room, and fold clean clothes. (Maybe he or she will encourage your kiddos to do the same.)
- Musical Elf: Have a piano or other musical instrument? Set your Elf up for a mini concert complete with an audience of toys
- Movie Night Elf: Have your elf intro the first Christmas movie of the year, complete with popcorn and candy.
- Clean Teeth Elf: Set up your elf next to the toothpaste, so he or she can remind your kids to brush
- Shopping Online Elf: Let your elf shop online for Christmas gifts
- Exercise Elf: Elves need to get their cardio on too! Hide the elf inside a pair of running shoes….bonus points for putting the elf in exercise gear.
- Selfie Elf: Set your elf up next to your phone in the charging dock, and get him ready for his very first selfie!
- Elf Builds His Own Home: Set up a home out of blocks, and let the elf finish it up!
- Caffeine Elf: Elves need coffee too, right? Hide the Elf in your morning mug, and see who finds it first!
- Elf Ordering Take Out: Who has time to cook? Not the Elf. Set your Elf up at the computer ready to other his favorite take out!
- Elf Wrapping Presents: We're all wrapping gifts this close to the actual holiday right? Let the Elf help out!
- Cookies and Milk Elf: Have your elf set out cookies and milk in preparation for the arrival of his boss!
What do you think? What are your favorite Elf on the Shelf Hiding Places?!? Leave your favorites in the comments!
I like Movie Night: Have your elf intro the first Christmas movie of the year, complete with popcorn and candy.
My favorite elf hiding spot is on top of the tv, to teach kiddos to not watch so much tv lol
I love to hide him behind the cereal in the pantry!
We love hiding elf in the glass cookie jar 🙂 and another great place is inside my boot.
@tisonlyme143
one place is the closet, hanging by the arm on a hanger
We honestly don’t have the elf. I’m like the last mom standing lol.
By the coffee maker!!
I would hide the Elf in the fireplace that doesn’t work.
Decorating Elf: Set your elf in the Christmas tree, for extra holiday fun have him or her bring your child a new ornament each year. love this one thanks
I don’t have an Elf of the Shelf. I have an elf doll that I put on a little table and dress him up for different holidays.
The bathroom always evokes Elf on the Shelf hiding spot/antics laughter…
Our elves don’t really hide, but they do cause mischief! My favorite is when they put the kids underwear on the ceiling fan!
I always put my elf in the Christmas tree to make sure kids aren’t trying to open gifts too early or being naughty!
I love the hiding spot in the car!
it’s in the closet
My favorite spot is in the Christmas tree. but my kids favorite is on the kitchen counter building marshmallow snowmen
I like to hide it in my son’s room while he’s sleeping, so that in the morning he is excited to look for it.
Hanging from the ceiling fan
i like hiding him in the tree
I like the idea of putting him near a book.
My son is two so we don’t do it yet but I have one for next year! My son would think the hungry elf eating his cereal is hilarious!
The snow angel, shopping online, and bathtub elf are my favorite ideas!! Love the toothbrush reminder elf too…. these are great ideas! We didn’t get an elf (again) this year but definitely hoping to have one by next year…. I’ll have to do a little research on how he or she is supposed to arrive at our house and stuff….
I like to hang him on the kitchen light.
We don’t have an elf, but I love the idea of hiding him in the pantry! So cute.
My favorite elf hiding spot is on top of the tv stand.
Our elf likes to “hide” tucked into the Christmas tree!
I like the idea of the hungry elf. The kitchen is a great place to hide the elf.
I love your idea of having him make snow angels in a plate of flour!
I love ‘by the toothbrush’ because it’s so important that we all remember our oral care in this sugary yummy season of eating! 🙂
My favorite elf hiding spot is in the shower!
My favorite elf hiding spot is on top of the refridgerator.
I like to hide him in the hole in the cat tree.
Favorite elf hiding spot? Top of the Christmas tree …
I don’t have an elf. My dog’s wouldn’t care but they would enjoy chewing it up. Your little elf is the cutest.
Our kids won’t leave ours alone so he rests on the ceiling fan a lot! Takes a little imagination!
There all such cute ideas,but I love Snow Angels: Set your elf on a tray filled with flour, and let him or her make snow angels.I think my daughter would get a kick out of doing this one the most.She gets super excited when it snows,and when it does making a huge snow man and snow angels is what it’s all about!!
We didn’t have an elf this year, so we’re doing “Steve” on the shelf. It’s a mini Steve figure from Minecraft. It’s been pretty funny putting him all over the house. This morning he was being attacked on my daughter’s bed by a stuffed fox.
I like my elf on the sink in the bathroom.
We have never done elf on the shelf before.
I don’t do elf on the shelf, my grandma did and she always put him in the tree or on the fireplace mantle hanging from a candle.
As mentioned, ours sits on the bathroom sink holding a small toothbrush reminding the kids to brush their teeth.
I like to hide the elf in the Christmas tree.
I think my Elf is going to be hiding in my kitchen cabinet (the cabinet that I open most often daily).\
He will be able to peak out at me and I can check on him also.
My favorite Elk hiding spot is him zip lining from the chandelier to whatever toy I don’t want drug out that day at the bottom of the zip line. I know it sounds mean but it’s a very easy way of not having something drug out that day..if the Elf is attached you can’t touch. My other favorite is to tie him in toilet paper around my daughter’s chair at the table. She loves that she gets to eat in the den when that happens.
the christmas tree
My favorite Elf hiding spot is having the Elf peeking out of m kids cereal box in the morning. They get a kick out of finding Elf in their cereal!
I put my elf in the pantry.
My favorite spot is on the light hanging over the dining room table….he likes the view from up there!
The elf likes hiding in the tree. 🙂
I think a good elf hiding spot would be near the refrigerator or on a kitchen countertop
didn’t learn about elf on the shelf till kids were grown and gone. Guess we will have to find places for the grand kids one of these days.
My favorite thing our elf has done is poop out a Hershey Kiss into our candle holder, while he is reading a magazine. The kids thought it was hilarious.
My favorite spot is on our wall quilt rack shelf in the living room.
I never hid the elf when my son was little, but if I did he would be hiding out by the Christmas cookies.
I have hidden him on top of the fish tank
I think the freezer near the ice cream is a cute idea.
Thank you!
Our favorite spot is outside in one of our pine trees. The grand children have a ball trying to find him. There is about 2 acres of pines. Thank you for the contest. Good luck everyone!
NOW THAT THE KIDS ARE GROWN, DO NOT HAVE TO HIDE!!!
In the refrigerator behind the milk drinking a juice box.
We dont have an elf. My kids were actually creeper out by it when their teachers read it to them in school LOL
A great elf hiding place would be in a large glass measuring cup. Give him a light dusting of flour!
No elf here.
Wouldn’t you like too know – hahaha All over my home closets , etc.
My favorite elf spot is in the Christmas tree. Blends in and it’s hard to find 🙂
I would hide the elf on the book shelf.
My favorite place to hide him is inside the lampshade with his head sticking out.
favorite hiding place………… bathroom by the toothbrushes
I always hide mine along with the rest of their toys. They can’t find him, and they almost start crying. I tell them maybe he’s lonely, and he’s hanging out with friends. That sends them on a mad hunt to find them AND they play with all the other toys they forgot they even had! Win, win!
I like to hide mine in places that they can see but not right in their face. Like in the living room near the tv but not in plain sight. Something I know they use all the time but do not necessarily stick out.
My favorite place to put him so far is riding the Christmas Moose decoration.
I hid the elf on the nightstand. (:
In our curio cabinet because you can move it in & out on an almost daily basis
My favorite spot to hide the elf is in the Christmas tree my Son loves it and it always puts a smile on his face
My favorite elf hiding spot is behind the plants.
My favourite is hungry elf 🙂 snacking in the pantry
I like the pantry 🙂
My favorite elf spot is the snow angels.
I don’t have an elf! So it must be hiding in a REALLY good spot!
The elf stays in the tree so there is no peeking at presents.
I like to hide him in the Christmas Tree.
I have 3 kids we got our first elf this year! Her name is twinkle toes lol my kids seemed to really love when I set up the elf with a mixture of their toys like they were having a party! I put Twinkle with my daughter’s doll, my son’s flash and the baby’s pony sitting on the counter with some ornaments.
Our favorite “hiding” spot is in a jar with “Help Me” taped to the jar.
On my kitchen counter
I have never heard on elf.It looks like it would be really fun tradition.
We don’t do elf on the shelf, my kids are too old but it wasn’t really a thing when they were but I think its a fun idea!
I love your idea for the sleeping elf.I think my daughter would love having the elf sleep in a teeny tiny bed next to hers.Totally doing that!
I like to have him holding onto the hook on the banana hanging thing, to remind the kiddos to eat some fruit. 🙂
I don’t do elf on the shelf even though it’s really really cute and fun, but if I did, I think my favorite elf on the shelf hiding spot would be in the cupboard so when I go to get a plate for my kiddo, I can pretend to be surprised.
I love hiding our elf in the laundry room! I make him pretend like he’s been doing laundry.
In the fridge is a favorite hiding spot.
I like the idea of having the elf hold a small gift on Christmas. Eve.
We don’t have an elf. There was no elf when my kids were younger. At least none that I knew of. My niece and nephew have an elf. I’ll have to ask my sister where she puts it.
My favorite hiding spot for the elf is in a bookshelf in our living room.
I like hiding the elf on a bar of soap floating in a little bit of water in the bathtub. Looks like his is on a boat.
I think elf would look nice on the stereo shelf. He would have a great view.
i think hiding in the freezer is hilarious!!!
I like hiding him in our Christmas Tree! I love making it look like he’s scaling up the branches. 🙂
on top of the TV
If I had an elf I would hide him in the bathroom in the tub.
I like the freezer idea! Although, Elf on the Shelf came along after my kids were almost fully grown up, so we don’t do the elf antics.
We have never done elf on the shelf before. Dont have one either.. and my kid is already an adult.. Too late :/
Happy Holidays!
We aren’t an Elf family lol. I couldn’t keep up with this! I am so proud of moms who keep it up! lol
Such cute ideas! I was so proud that I have not yet forgotten to move our elf this year… but I was sick last night and left my husband in charge…. he forgot!
I DON’T HAVE AN ELF ON THE SHELF, BUT IF I DID, I WOULD HIDE HIM MY KIDS TOY BOX, LOL 🙂
Hide the Elf on the blade of a ceiling fan.
I like to hide him in the bookshelves — peeking out from behind the books.
I would hide the Elf among my bookshelves so he could look out at my Christmas Decorations.
We like to hide ours in the porch! Thank you so much for this!
I like to hide him on the ceiling fan. How did he get up there?
My daughter has a lighthouse in her bedroom and I love putting the elf in the lighthouse
My favorite spot is in the dog’s crate – we’re lucky that she’s not hard on toys!
I don’t have the elf. I think he’s creepy!
However, some of the hiding options have been cute. The favorite one I’ve seen online is the one with the elf frozen in a large block of ice. Elsa is nearby…
My favorite elf hiding spot is in the bathroom next to their tooth brushes so he makes sure the kids brush & floss 😉 because santa is watching!
I don’t have an Elf On A Shelf; but I’ve always enjoyed seeing the creative and funny ways that others use theirs.
My favorite elf on the shelf hiding place is the Christmas tree.
We have no kiddos, but we enjoy seeing everyone’s fun elf on the shelf pictures – so clever!
closet
In our house you are lucky to find one!! Happy Holidays!! Thank you for the opportunity!
in the christmas tree or the dogs bed!
so far, i like when i hide him in the christmas tree or somewhere really high where it takes the kids awhile to find him; like the ceiling fan, etc.
Love to hide elf in my kitchen so that I can talk while cooking lol
My favorite elf hiding spot is on the ceiling fan
My favorite place the hide the elf is in the car, so they know he is watching while we are out and about.
we don’t have an elf yet. Might start next year!
I don’t have an elf
I like your Movie Night Elf idea.
I like this one a lot. ((Artsy Elf: set up an art station filled with crayons and a christmas coloring book…..your elf can start a piece of art for your child to finish))
We don’t have an elf, but my son just inquired about one. So next year might be the year. I love all your ideas. Especially the one where they hid in the freezer by the ice cream. 🙂
I hid our granddaughters’ elf (we named him Edward) on the book shelf with ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas book next to him. When they found him in the morning they requested that I read the book to them.
We like to hide him in the bathroom,lol.
I liked when I made the elf sick. She had a thermometer and tissues out. She left Nature Soothies, which are boxes of suckers that have no sugar, but are filled with essential oils and probiotics to keep them well. The elf was in the bathroom at the time.
My favorite spot is in the freezer because he misses home. We live in Florida & it’s going to be 80 degrees Christmas Day.
My Grandson thinks ALL of his toys should go in the Fridge, so that is where Elf will be hiding 🙂
I actually do not have an elf. It’s not something we do, although some of the pics I have seen with funny and crazy hiding spots have been cute and funny.
My favorite elf hiding spot is on the book case in my den.
In the cookiejar with his feet sticking out! 😀
inside the cereal box. Thank you for the giveaway opportunity. I invite you to stop by and entere my giveaway too. Hugs
My favorite spot would be in the bookshelf!
In the bathroom tissue paper roll
Reading elf is my fave!!
On the Christmas tree peeping from behind a bulb so it is like the elf is in direct contact with Santa!
My favorite hiding spot is somewhere on the children’s bookcase. The elf decides which book mom or dad will read each night.
We don’t do the elf, I would never be able to keep up with it. I would always have the sick or tired elf!
I like hiding him in my teenagers laptop case. He always comes home from school miffed about the Elf falling out in front of his friends. Hehe
The best hiding spot is behind the Dr. Seuss books!
I like the decorating elf idea of having him in the Christmas tree with an ornament. I would make it a special personalized ornament. Now you also have a new family ornament each year to remember all of your wonderful holiday memories.
i like to put him on top of the fridge
I always put my elf in the Christmas tree. He watches over the presents and make sure nobody tries to open one before Christmas.
Love hidding elf near the cookies!!
Ok…I have to be honest with you. I don’t have an elf on the shelf! My kids are all grown up, so I’m trying to get my daughter to buy one for her daughter. I feel like a fraud! haha God bless and Happy Holidays to you all! If I had one, I would hide it in one of my shoes! haha
My favorite Elf hiding spot in in the candy dish.
In the refrigerator
I love the frozen elf how cute is that!
I have to be honest, we don’t have the Elf. It’s a tradition that’s skipped our house. 😉
Under the bed, of course. 🙂
I love the Driving Elf and the Hungry Elf are my favorite ones! 🙂 I am not very original or exciting when it comes to this stuff either, I usually just place him in a different spot around the house. I never come up with fun scenes like this, thank you so much for sharing!
Love this list! Pinning for later… I also forgot to move our elf a couple times last year. It’s inevitable!