Creative Elf On The Shelf Ideas You’ll Want To Copy This Christmas

One holiday tradition that has become popular is the iconic Elf on the Shelf. Families take this little Elf and place it in interesting, mischievous, and funny situations, making it look like the Elf did it all by itself, all for the sake of gleeful laughs from children and adults alike.

For some fun Elf on the Shelf inspiration, keep reading!

A Nice Sunbake In The Winter

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Ashley Otis/Pinterest
Ashley Otis/Pinterest

Looks as though this elf is over the cold winter weather, lounging not only on a baking sheet with a towel, sunscreen, and Chapstick but in the oven for an extra toasty bake!

The brown sugar "sand" is a great addition to the scene.

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A Popcorn Mess

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Thelma Reyes/Pinterest
Thelma Reyes/Pinterest
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These two elves got themselves into a bit of trouble in the microwave!

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With a bag of popcorn and the salty snack all over the counter, someone will not be overly thrilled in the morning when they see what these two have been up to.

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Uhhhhhhh, They Made Breakfast?

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Angel Overberg/Pinterest
Angel Overberg/Pinterest
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Leave it to an Elf to make spaghetti for breakfast. The food choice aside, they could use a tip or two on how to properly make the meal!

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Even so, the kitchen mess is sure to put a smile on someone's face, hopefully.

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Elf Angels!

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Elf snow angels
Dawn Z/Pinterest
Dawn Z/Pinterest
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All it takes is an Elf getting into the flour, and a family has a whole lot of elf angels to deal with when they wake up!

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Well, at least it's a very creative Elf on the Shelf idea.

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Let It Go

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Elf on the Shelf
Beth Messman/Pinterest
Beth Messman/Pinterest
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Elsa was not having it with the Elf on the Shelf.

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Using her powers to utterly freeze the poor Elf in a block of ice, this Elf probably regrets doing anything wrong to the Disney Princess!

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Batter Up!

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Lutins de noël_ 35 idées de tours simples et rigolos
Sara Muszynski/Pinterest
Sara Muszynski/Pinterest
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This elf decided to have a bit of fun in the kitchen, placing ornaments on a makeshift tee to play baseball!

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Hopefully, none of the ornaments were sentimental, considering shards of the broken balls are littering the surface.

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So Meta

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Mark Habberley/Pinterest
Mark Habberley/Pinterest
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Well, this Elf gets points for meta-creativity. In true Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade fashion, it decided to make a float of, well, an Elf on the Shelf.

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Hopefully, Santa's grand finale didn't feel too upstaged.

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Climbing Mt. Milky Way

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Heather Hunter/Pinterest
Heather Hunter/Pinterest
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Whoever did this display is one creative person (sorry, it was the Elf!).

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Taping little Milky Way candy bars to kitchen cabinets, they made a solid rock wall for their Elf on the Shelf to climb, with a bigger bar as the prize for getting to the top, of course.

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Just Washing The Windows

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jennifer/Pinterest
jennifer/Pinterest
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Traditionally, an Elf on the Shelf gets into some questionable situations. This one, though, decided to be helpful during the holiday season.

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The Elf is being nice, cleaning the windows.

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Someone Went On A Shopping Spree

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Kayla Wagstaff/Pinterest
Kayla Wagstaff/Pinterest
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Nothing says Happy Holidays quite like an Amazon shopping spree.

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The mom of the house most likely learned their lesson after this little mishap -- no leaving the credit card unattended!

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A Western Snowball Fight

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99 Unique Elf on the Shelf Hiding Ideas for Your Apartment
Buennla/Pinterest
Buennla/Pinterest
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It looks as though this Elf got themselves into quite the pickle, picking a snowball fight with the one and only Woody from Toy Story.

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The marshmallow snow forts are an excellent touch to this scene.

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A Gummy Bear Waterfall

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Chelsea Gubbins/Pinterest
Chelsea Gubbins/Pinterest
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As depicted in media, Elves tend to like the sweeter things in life, like candy.

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So, it only makes sense that they created a gummy bear waterfall to marvel over!

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A Christmas Proposal

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Roxann Esparza/Pinterest
Roxann Esparza/Pinterest
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There is nothing quite as romantic as a Christmas-time proposal underneath a decorated tree.

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This Elf even went as far as putting on a green sweater for the occasion and writing a sign.

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Riding Off Into The Sunset

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Wendy Ruck/Pinterest
Wendy Ruck/Pinterest
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Riding off into the winter sunset on top of a horse with Barbie is definitely one way to make the holiday season a memorable one!

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The Elf looks overly smug about his antics.

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Scrub-A-Dub-Dub Two Elves In Tubs

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Christina Sharp/Pinterest
Christina Sharp/Pinterest
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A marshmallow bath? These Elves have the right idea!

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Complete with their own rubber ducks and towel head wraps, these two look very cozy in their respective marshmallow-filled bathtubs. The plant in the middle is a great touch.

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Sledding Down The Stairs

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Jennifer Dempsey/Pinterest
Jennifer Dempsey/Pinterest
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Fluffy snow, evergreen trees, and some bushes make this scene absolutely epic.

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The Elves got very creative for their sledding session down the stairs. This was sure to bring a smile to more than one person's face.

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Fooorreeeeee!!!!

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Megan Bartels/Pinterest
Megan Bartels/Pinterest
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Nothing says a mischievous Elf quite like one who decides to play golf on the countertop!

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With a book as the tee box, a candy cane as the gold club, and colored mini marshmallows as golf balls, this is a very creative Elf on the Shelf.

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Ice Fishing With Rudolph

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Amelie Gaspar/Pinterest
Amelie Gaspar/Pinterest
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It's always a nice gesture to bring friends on excursions, such as ice fishing underneath a Christmas tree.

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Here, the Elf decided to bring Rudolph along for a little goldfish fishing expedition.

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Movie Night

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Elf on the Shelf Calendar
Danielle Johnston/Pinterest
Danielle Johnston/Pinterest
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What is the holiday season without countless movie nights?

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This Elf took it upon themselves to have a solo movie night, stealing someone's tablet and making a bag of popcorn for a cozy night in.

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Spidey Was Having None Of It

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Anneke Cronje/Pinterest
Anneke Cronje/Pinterest
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Well, not everyone gets into the holiday spirit. Yes, Spider-Man, that means you.

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Apparently, the superhero was not overly fond of the Elf's antics. Nice of the Elf's friend to just lounge on the shelf and watch all of this go down!

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Just An Elf And Its Pet Apple Worm

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106 easy & funny Elf on the Shelf ideas you HAVE to try
Stefanie Müller/Pinterest
Stefanie Müller/Pinterest
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Hopping into the fruit basket for some apples and a cabinet for mini marshmallows, this Elf went ahead and made himself a companion!

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Such a creative Elf, making itself a pet apple worm.

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Lounging On A Hammock

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Lindsay Baltimore/Pinterest
Lindsay Baltimore/Pinterest
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Sometimes, even an Elf needs to take a load off and relax away from everyone and everything going on in its life.

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Here, the Elf put up a hammock on a chandelier!

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A Nice Foot Soak And Some Hot Cocoa

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90 Funny and Easy Elf-on-the-Shelf Ideas for Christmas (2)
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Donna/Pinterest
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These Elves are ready to watch some football if the one Elf's jersey has anything to say about what is on the television.

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This isn't a typical Sunday night football party, though. They're having a nice marshmallow foot soak with some hot chocolate!

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Spinning Around During The Spin Cycle

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99 Unique Elf on the Shelf Hiding Ideas for Your Apartment (1)
Anaïs Gérard/Pinterest
Anaïs Gérard/Pinterest
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Grabbing some friends, this Elf decided it was time to have a little holiday fun.

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Hopping into the washing machine, these four friends tapped themselves to the barrel to enjoy a nice spin around during the spin cycle!

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Just Hanging Around

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kristyn Johnston/Pinterest
kristyn Johnston/Pinterest
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Not wanting to get overly creative, this Elf looks as though it just wanted to get away from the family for a little while.

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So, why not hang around on the chandelier. Who would look for the Elf there?

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Trying To Get Back Home e

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Beth Kelley/Pinterest
Beth Kelley/Pinterest
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Getting back home from the North Pole cant be an easy journey, as shown by this silly Elf.

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The Elf literally got itself stuck between the blinds! Somehow, it managed to write a note, though.

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Wishing The Family A Fun Day Of Skiing

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Tonya Garbers/Pinterest
Tonya Garbers/Pinterest
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As noted on the card, Frosty Twinkle Pants put on their best skis and whipped out the candy cane poles to wish this family a lovely day on the slopes.

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Such a thoughtful Elf!

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A Crockpot Bath

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The most creative Elf on the Shelf ideas
Robin Cool/Pinterest
Robin Cool/Pinterest
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Nothing says a cozy winter evening quite like a warm bubble bath.

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This Elf has the right idea, making a bath of cotton balls and inviting a rubber duck to enjoy in the bubbly warmth of the crockpot.

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Snowball Fight!

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50+ Fun and Easy Elf on the Shelf Ideas - Happy Toddler Playtime
Vanessa Cross/Pinterest
Vanessa Cross/Pinterest
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This Elf was very nice, asking if anyone wanted to have a snowball fight. The thing is, the Elf already made a whole bunch of snowballs, making a mess on the floor.

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All is fair in fun and snowball fights, though.

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Who Needs Reindeer?

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Elf on the shelf with friendly dinosaurs
Jen Oleksik/Pinterest
Jen Oleksik/Pinterest
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Take note, Santa Claus, there is a new sheriff in town, and they don't use reindeer to get around!

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Instead, this Elf decided to bring together all of the dinosaurs.