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Elf on the Shelf Planning Elf Calendar & Idea Checklist – free printables
We love our Elf on the Shelf, Ralphie. He’s one of the many (and probably one of the most favorite) traditions we do every year. To keep everything together I use an “Elf Calendar & Elf Checklist”. Complete download links are at the bottom of the post.
I start planning for our elf’s arrival in September and begin gathering everything I need to make sure our elf’s stay is well enjoyed. When my husband had a motorcycle accident last year, I even came home the very next morning after his surgery to move our elf so when we got home that evening he’d be moved… I’m obsessed!
I have followers on my personal Facebook who will write me if I’m late posting what Ralphie, our elf, did that day…. It’s pretty sad, haha! I probably go a little overboard with it, but I know before long my seven year old won’t be interested in the elf and those days will be over so I’m savoring every moment I can get.
Some mornings I’ll do extravagant ideas and others I do very simple, with-little-effort, moves.
To keep this all organized I use a set an elf calendar and an elf checklist of ideas.
I’ll first write all my ideas down on a idea checklist. I’ll write out what items I need to gather together and what items I need to buy. This make it SO much simpler to plan ahead to buy items. A lot of things I buy at the dollar store and I can get it in one trip for the whole season! For instance last year Ralphie hid candy canes over the house… I had bought these the month before at the dollar store so all I had to do was hide the candy canes. I can’t stress enough how planning ideas make the elf so much easier!
Next I’ll separate the ideas by weekday or weekend on my elf calendar. I do the more extravagant ideas on the weekend and the easier ones through the week.
Don’t feel like these are set in stone. I changed mine up several times throughout the season, but I was able to mark off ones I had done so I could see the ideas I still had left.
I also do extra “ideas” in case a couple of them don’t pan out so I have a back up plan just in case.
These printables are for personal use only.
Download here:
Elf on the Shelf Elf November Calendar 2016
Elf on the Shelf Elf Calendar 2016 December
Check out my other Elf on the Shelf posts here!
Really enjoyed this article! Very helpful ideas! Keep posting please!
Thank you 🙂 More Elf on the Shelf to come soon!
Thank you for providing these! I have already printed mine out to start planning for this year.
Awesome! Glad they came to use 🙂
Thank you so much for these…it’s my first time this year. I’m so excited!
You’re welcome! Check out the ideas and free printables on here too. 🙂 Elf on the Shelf is SO much fun!
How do you update the calendar for 2017
Hey James, you can view my new post with an updated 2017 calendar 🙂 it’s under the Elf on the Shelf tab. Thanks for your interest!!