20 Creative Celebrity Elf on the Shelf Ideas to Get Parents Through the Holidays
We may have been looking forward to watching cheesy movies, drinking hot cocoa, and blasting festive tunes for months, but that's not to say we're completely thrilled that the holiday season has seemingly already arrived. (It gets earlier and earlier every single year!) After all, with that happy, cheerful fun comes great responsibility -- and we're not just talking about making sure "Santa" delivers some decent presents for the little ones. This time of year also means that our family Elf on the Shelf is about to come out of hiding, and we'll be tasked with moving it every day, and possibly placing it in creative situations.
A quick Google search will lead any stumped parent to a variety of fun, hilarious, and unexpected ideas, with Instagram being a great source of inspiration as well. Plus, a handful of celebrities like to go all out for the sake of their kids -- hiding the elves in random places, adding props, writing letters ... the whole nine yards. Busy Philipps, for instance, seems to top her extravagant setups year after year, while Sarah Michelle Gellar could easily make Elf on the Shelf-ing another one of her jobs.
Obviously, it would be easiest if all of these star-worthy, genius ideas were readily available in one place, so we rounded up 20 of the best celebrity examples we could find, along with a funny bonus at the end -- warning us what will happen when that little elf "forgets" to move!
Busy Philipps
Busy is really a pro at Elf on the Shelf as she comes up with creative ideas every year. Last holiday season -- aside from putting together a whole Farmer's Market, and hanging the elves from a clothesline -- she went a Broadway theme for a family NYC trip. There were even MetroCards and playbills for Dear ELFin Hasen.
Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling's "poopy" display was kind of gross and had its fair share of critics. But if she was willing to clean it up, more power to her!
Alyssa Milano
This celeb mom's elves got glam (and grew their hair?) in 2016, when they sat in a salon chair with a blow dryer, eye shadow, and lip gloss.
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle is another mom who enjoys thinking up fun, unexpected ways to pose these elves -- like with a lemonade stand or playing with tools -- but we have to say, these mermaid tail blankets are too cute!
Heather Dubrow
The former Real Housewife had her elves pose as if they were fishing for Goldfish crackers in the bathroom. Cute -- and probably not too difficult to recreate for ourselves!
Ayda Field Williams
Singer Robbie Williams's wife shared that their elf snuck into the fridge and decided to draw silly faces on all the eggs. "Dotty's been making some eggnog," she wrote in this Instagram post.
Snooki
While Snooki once shared a picture of a very evil elf last year, "Star" showed up at Nanny's house and climbed the Christmas tree.
Nikki Bella
Nikki Bella might not have kids of her own (yet), but she took part in the tradition by moving the elf to the middle of a wreath for her nieces.
Bethenny Frankel
Bethenny Frankel combined both Christmas and Hanukkah by placing her elf next to a Mensch on a Bench (and a bunch of boxes of Skinny Girl wine).
Kourtney Kardashian
Kourtney Kardashian often leaves her elves hanging (literally) around the house. But one year, the mom of three hid them between some balls on the pool table.
Behati Prinsloo
OK, not the most creative, but considering Behati and Adam Levine's kids are still teeny tiny, it's probably exciting for them to spot their elf anywhere -- even just perched on a ledge.