How is it time to say goodbye to our elf already? The past few weeks have gone by so quickly – the boys have loved finding our elf each day, especially with his Disney themed elf fun! But with Christmas just a couple of days away, elves on the shelves everywhere will soon be making their way back to the North Pole. This is the first year of our Elf on the Shelf tradition and we’ve so we’ve been looking for just the right way to say goodbye! The book about our Elf, Christopher Pop-in-Kins, says that he needs to be back at the North Pole on Christmas Eve. So, I think we have just two more nights with him. 
So, I’ve rounded up some ideas that I think would be perfect for an elf goodbye! You can even integrate saying goodbye to your elf into some of your favorite Christmas Eve traditions.
Goodbye Letter. I think a goodbye letter is a great way to go! Our elf arrived with a letter, so it seems fitting that he leave with one too! If you don’t have the time to come up with your own letter, there are some fun templates out there. You can download one here at Balancing Home or this one from Serendipity Soiree. Or, if you have your very own Pop-in-Kins elf like ours, then perhaps a Pop-in-Kins Elf on the Shelf coloring page with the letter would be a great touch as well!
Simple Goodbye Message. If a formal letter from isn’t your elf’s style, maybe a fun little message is. You could spell out a goodbye with fun lettered cereal or pasta!
Throw a going away party or Leave a Christmas Breakfast Treat. . How fun would a party be? You can even get free printable elf photo booth party props from Living Locurto. So fun! But, if a whole party is too much, how about just having your elf leave a fun breakfast treat for the kids? You can see our list of 15+ fun Christmas Breakfast ideas here to give you some inspiration! OR, you could even just do some simple & cute snowman milks! The kids would love waking up to find that their elf left them a fun breakfast! 
Bring Christmas Eve Pajamas. Since our elf needs to leave on Christmas Eve, I think he’s going to wash the new Christmas jammies and leave them out for the boys with their goodbye letter. And just look…they happen to be elf pj’s! 😉 
Bring a new Christmas Movie. The kids would certainly love finding out that the elf left a fun new Christmas movie for the family to watch together on Christmas Eve. Disney’s Prep & Landing would be an especially great one if you don’t already have it! Here are some of our favorites:
Bring a new Christmas book! Along those same lines, your elf could leave a new Christmas book for the family to read together on Christmas Eve. Here’s a few fun ideas:
Leave ingredients for making Christmas treats! Along with a letter or note, your elf could leave all the ingredients for making Christmas cookies or a fun Christmas treat – maybe even Santa cookies! This is Santa Snack Mix is a Christmas Eve hit at our house – and the ingredients would all be totally safe to sit out on the counter all night after your elf leaves!! 😉 
If you need more easy treat ideas that your elf could leave ingredients for, check out these no-bake ideas:
- Christmas Tree OREO Truffles
- White Chocolate Peppermint Bark
- Holiday Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark
- Easy Christmas Candy Fudge
- Peppermint S’mores
A scavenger hunt. And to really add to the excitement, how fun would it be if your elf sent the kids on a scavenger hunt to find their letters, some treats, or a goodbye gift?! You can even get a free printable download on East Coast Mommy Blog.
So, hopefully that gives your elf some creative ideas for saying goodbye!
How does your elf say goodbye? Share your fun Elf on the Shelf in the comments below!
