Entertainment

20 Creative Celebrity Elf on the Shelf Ideas to Get Parents Through the Holidays

EntertainmentPublished Nov 16, 2018
By Samantha Sutton
Alyssa Milano Elf on the Shelf ideamilano_alyssa/Instagram

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!

1/21
Busy Philipps-placeholder
Busy Philipps
busyphilipps/Instagram

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.

2/21
Tori Spelling-placeholder
Tori Spelling
torispelling/Instagram

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!

3/21
Alyssa Milano-placeholder
Alyssa Milano
milano_alyssa/Instagram

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.

4/21
Sarah Michelle Gellar-placeholder
Sarah Michelle Gellar
sarahmgellar/Instagram

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!

5/21
Victoria Beckham-placeholder
Victoria Beckham
victoriabeckham/Instagram Stories

Victoria Beckham

Victoria proves that it's still a good idea to actually place the elf on a shelf -- with some candy, of course!

6/21
Vanessa Lachey-placeholder
Vanessa Lachey
vanessalachey/Instagram

Vanessa Lachey

When all else fails, we'll do as Vanessa Lachey did in 2015: Have the elf sit in the middle of the chandelier!

7/21
Heather Dubrow-placeholder
Heather Dubrow
heatherdubrow/Instagram

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!

8/21
Ayda Field Williams-placeholder
Ayda Field Williams
aydafieldwilliams/Instagram

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.

9/21
Lily Aldridge-placeholder
Lily Aldridge
lilyaldridge/Instagram Stories

Lily Aldridge

This Victoria's Secret angel's daughter Dixie woke up to find her elf hiding in a cereal box -- with its own bowl and spoon -- before she decided to eat some cereal for herself.

10/21
Snooki-placeholder
Snooki
snooki/Instagram

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.

11/21
Kelly Clarkson-placeholder
Kelly Clarkson
kellyclarkson/Instagram

Kelly Clarkson

Kelly's 2016 Christmas tree was so packed with ornaments, it was even tough for us to spot the elves sitting next to them. Her daughter, River, must have a good eye!

12/21
Mario Lopez-placeholder
Mario Lopez
MarioLopezExtra/Twitter

Mario Lopez

It seems as if Mario made his elf scale the wall in a stylish puffer coat.

13/21
Nikki Bella-placeholder
Nikki Bella
thenikkibella/Instagram

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.

14/21
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Bethenny Frankel
bethennyfrankel/Instagram

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).

15/21
Vanessa Bryant-placeholder
Vanessa Bryant
vanessabryant/Instagram

Vanessa Bryant

The elf doesn't just have to move spots every night. Like Vanessa Bryant demonstrated, they can also change outfits.

16/21
Kourtney Kardashian-placeholder
Kourtney Kardashian
kourtneykardash/Instagram

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.

17/21
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Monica Potter
monicapottergram/Instagram

Monica Potter

It was probably quite the surprise to spot this elf hitching a ride on the back of the family dog! Thankfully, the well-behaved pet (and really good sport) didn't confuse it for a chew toy!

18/21
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Kevin Jonas
kevinjonas/Instagram

Kevin Jonas

The Jonas family's elf decided to take a ride in a pink Barbie car.

19/21
Christa Miller-placeholder
Christa Miller
ChristaBMiller/Twitter

Christa Miller

The former Scrubs actress went with something simple but sweet a few years back, placing the family elf in front of some photos and making it seem as if they were lovingly staring at them.

20/21
Behati Prinsloo-placeholder
Behati Prinsloo
behatiprinsloo/Instagram

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.

21/21
Pink-placeholder
Pink
pink/Instagram

Pink

We also had to include the letter Pink's daughter, Willow, wrote to Santa about Chippy. It seems the singer wasn't creative enough and totally forgot to move him (LOL).

Hey, it happens!

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