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Christian Alternatives to Elf on the Shelf
Are you searching for Christian Elf on the Shelf alternatives? Christmas is approaching and families everywhere are preparing their homes for a beloved Christmas tradition – Elf on the Shelf. However, many Christian families have come to dread the yearly elf shenanigans and hate getting out their little elves, and a growing number of families are doing away with the traditional elf altogether.
Are these families meant to just miss out on such a popular Christmas tradition, or are there perhaps some positive and uplifting Christian alternatives to the elf on the shelf?
If you’re looking for Christian alternatives to the mischievous elf, then you’re in luck! I have scoured the internet and today I am bringing you some of my favorite elf on the shelf ideas for Christian families. Use these ideas to start a new Christmas tradition with your kiddos – a tradition that brings to light the true meaning of the Christmas season!
You can skip to the first idea here.
What is Elf on the Shelf?
You may be asking, what is this elf on the shelf everybody keeps talking about?
Elf on the shelf started out as a fun little Christmas advent tradition for families with young kids. The idea is that every year at the start of the Christmas season, parents introduce their family elf to the kids. Each elf has its own name along with its own special job.
Oftentimes this job is described by reading the elf on the shelf storybook that comes with many elf purchases. The idea is that Santa is very very busy up in the North Pole and he is having a hard time keeping track of all the boys and girls of the world, so he sends his elf helper to spend some time with each family during the weeks leading up to Christmas.
This elf sits on a shelf and watches the kids all day, and then every night when the family is asleep, the elf dashes off to see Santa and tell him all about the behavior of each boy and girl. Were they good? Were they bad? The elf knows all.
After he (or she) gives Santa the message, the elf dashes back to the family home and finds a new place to sit and watch the kids.
As this tradition took hold, instead of merely moving around the house and sitting on various shelves, more and more family elves started doing little acts of mischief. The elf went from a fun advent activity for families and turned into something else entirely.
Most elves are not malicious in nature but elves are young and fun-loving and sometimes forget their place (or so it would seem) and every morning, kids would wake up to find their beloved elf had made a great big mess or done some other naughty little act.
The idea was that kids would find this funny and amusing, but this whole elf thing has grown into a great big mess if you ask me. Kids worrying about Santa watching them instead of God and Jesus? Kids laughing and giggling at the antics of a trouble maker that is welcomed into their home?
Not to mention the stress and agitation placed upon parents who must now come up with new elf on the shelf ideas for their mischievous little houseguest to perform every single night.
Why a Christian Elf on the Shelf
Needless to say, we are not elf fans in our home, and I know we are not alone. But I do still like the idea of a new and fun Christ-centered Christmas tradition to enjoy with my kiddos.
And thus, I bring you the discovery of these fun Christian alternatives to the trouble-making elf. Each of these ideas will be enjoyable for kids and parents alike and bring an emphasis to the true meaning of Christmas.
Before you begin, if you’ve already started the Elf on the Shelf tradition (and are now regretting it) check out this post on how to reclaim your home from that sneaky little elf.
6+ Christian Elf Ideas and Alternatives
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to enjoy a fun Christmas tradition. While not every idea on this list is free, many are. The rest are pretty inexpensive – especially if you are willing to get creative!
Our Top Pick – The Wise Men Journey
The Wise Men Journey has been newly added to our list of Christian Elf on the Shelf alternatives. And if I’m being honest, I would say this is probably my favorite Christian Christmas countdown activity on this list of alternative Elf on the Shelf ideas.
In full disclosure, I received a free product in exchange for inclusion in this post. But I was thrilled to do so because I wanted to include this product anyway! The kids and I have already explored the general concept of The Wise Men Journey and have taken a close look at some of the daily prompts.
This Christmas countdown activity is absolutely gorgeous and we can hardly wait for December 1st so we can officially get started.
First, your kids will get a beautiful package that contains all of the components. At the top of the package is a bright and colorful children’s book that describes the journey of the Wise Men and gives your kids an overview of what they will be focusing on for the month of December.
The kit includes some gorgeous wooden wise men figurines as well as a few countdown treasure words. The idea is that every evening you will hide the three wise men and one of the treasure words (there is a different one assigned for each day). Then the kids will search for the wise men and the treasure word. Once they’ve found it, together you can all read that day’s devotional.
Do this every day leading up until Christmas and your kids will have 25 days of devotionals, all while engaging with some Biblical truths.
Interested in learning more? Take a closer look at The Wise Men Journey NOW!!
The Shepherd’s Treasure
The Shepherd’s Treasure is a cute little doll that comes complete with a storybook, along with 25 advent cards for kids to count down to Christmas – with the focus on Christ for the entire month.
Typically The Shepherd’s Treasure costs between $30 and $60. It used to be available on Amazon but unfortunately, I can no longer find it. Feel free to make your own shepherd-looking doll as an alternative!
If you’re looking for a free alternative, Marissa from mommyknowswhatsbest.com has some free bible verses to go along with this cute advent activity you can print out or copy down yourself. All you need is some kind of shepherd doll or figurine (use one from your Nativity set!) and voila, you’ve got a free faith-based Christmas tradition.
Little Lamb of Bethlehem
The Little Lamb of Bethlehem is a cute Christmas tradition that I only recently discovered. You start by purchasing your little lamb. Like the elf, this Bethlehem lamb also comes with a Christmas storybook, only unlike the elf, the lamb’s book tells about the Christmas story and the birth of Baby Jesus. What you do next is completely up to you!
Some families leave the lamb on a shelf as a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas, and others enjoy daily or weekly service activities with their lamb. The choice is yours but whatever you choose to do, the birth of Baby Jesus is the forefront of your mind for the entire Christmas season.
The Shepherd on the Search
The Shepherd on the Search, very similar to The Shepherd’s Treasure, is another fun tradition that emphasizes Jesus’ birth all season long The idea is that there is a little shepherd (depicted as a plush shepherd doll) who is confused about all the hubbub of the Christmas season and so he goes on a search for the true meaning of Christmas.
While the shepherd searches, he brings to your family a scripture or devotional to enjoy, along with a fun Christmas activity.
Mommysnippets.com has some free printable activity ideas to go along with the shepherd elf alternative. These activities are all super simple and keep The Savior at the forefront of your minds all season long.
Kindness Elves
Thimbleandtwig.com has a post detailing these super cute kindness elves. The concept of the Kindness Elves is simple. Every morning, your kids wake up to find these friendly little elves hiding in a new spot, complete with a little note detailing that day’s service project or activity.
While you can buy these kindness elves from The Imagination Tree Store, don’t feel locked into any one elf style. Buy or make any elf you like! In fact, you could even transform your original elf on the shelf into a kindness elf by merely encouraging kind acts instead of mischievous ones.
And in addition to these fun ideas from thimbleandtwig.com, if you’re in need of some activity ideas, you can find 25 good ones here.
Gratitude Elf Alternative
If you’ve already got an elf you want to use again, or if you’ve got another elf figurine on hand, then this gratitude elf alternative from pinkfortitude.com might be perfect for you.
At the beginning of the holiday season, your elf shows up with a note for your kids, and on this note is a list of 24 items the elf is grateful for. Then every day, the elf strikes up a conversation with your child asking what he or she is grateful for.
Having an attitude of gratitude is a great way to completely transform the whole atmosphere of the Christmas season – and this elf makes it easy. Just download the free printable note from pinkfortitude.com and you’ll be well on your way to encouraging gratitude in your kids, without having to buy a whole new Christmas decoration.
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