Elf on the Shelf for Teens

I know, I know…Elf on The Shelf for Teens may sound crazy but it is seriously the BEST!! Have you been thinking that Christmas just doesn’t seem the same now that your kids have out grown Santa? I know that feeling. My two are now 18 and almost 17.

**2021 update…my babies are 21 and 23! I still love that we had this fun tradition.

Elf on the Shelf for College and High Schoolers

We still have our favorite holiday traditions such as a movie and steak dinner just the 4 of us on Christmas Eve. I know that might not work for many of you who have family functions then but that’s ok, choose another night during the holiday season to spend time with your immediate family.

Back to Elf on The Shelf. This wasn’t a popular thing when our kids were little so I didn’t have the stress of it. I decided to buy one a couple of years after the belief in Santa had gone. You know that age where they are smart enough to know but sad that they know.

So I bought the Elf on The Shelf to add a little kiddie fun back into our house. As every mom out there, I totally forget to move her from time to time. Yes, our Elf is a girl and her name is Ginger.

The kids read the book when she arrived but obviously they know she’s not really watching them, LOL.

It’s pretty fun for me to come up with new ideas and my daughter especially loves looking for Ginger in the mornings. I have never been into using Santa or anything fictional to get my kids to behave. They were never told that Santa was watching them when they were little so the Elf to me is more fun for my older kids because I would have never used it correctly when they were little.

I decided this year Ginger will arrive today instead of the day after Thanksgiving like years past. It’s my son’s first night home from college for Christmas break so I wanted to make it fun.

Here are some of our Elf on The Shelf for teens display ideas. These were all phone photos I took at night when I set Ginger up so please excuse the darkness. I do similar things as other moms as far as Elf shenanigans but I like to add some surprises with her from time to time.

Things like candy, Starbucks gift cards, and movie tickets are always a big hit.

Elf on the Shelf
Elf on The Shelf for Teens
Elf on The Shelf for Teens

To stay true to this blog, Ginger is wearing a DIY skirt that my daughter made her.This is a really fun way we found to keep our kids young just a little longer.

They sell some super cute accessories, that would be fun to have when you are creating new daily happenings with your Elf. This one here would be a hit at our house.

Do you love to look at Christmas Home Tours?

Neutral Christmas Home Tour using Black, White, and Metallics
athomewiththebarkers.com

4 Comments

  1. My boys are 14 and 11 and have grown up with Elf on the Shelf. They are already talking about what they think the elves will do this year. Doing it for older kids is a whole different level of fun from when you do it for little kids!

  2. Great idea for “Elf” going to pass on to my daughter for her boys. Really cute displays gifts that keep on giving. Also loved the shed
    Make over just do not have a shed! Going to sign up for your email.

  3. That’s a fun idea! My kids didn’t grow up with Elf on the Shelf, but they would likely get a kick out of this! Keep the fun going!

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