Every sheet in this collection
9 printables
Elf Arrival Letter
The letter the elf brings on its first night.
Make itElf Goodbye Letter
The last letter, left on Christmas Eve when the elf goes back for the year.
Make itElf Welcome Back Letter
For the night the elf reappears after going missing for a few days.
Make itElf Introduction Letter
Written from Santa rather than from the elf, explaining that an elf has been sent, what it is for and what the...
Make itElf Notes
Thirty short notes, six to a page on a card you cut up, for the days in between the big letters.
Make itElf Good Behaviour Certificate
A certificate awarded by the elf, which works differently to one from Santa: the elf has been watching all month...
Make itElf Warning Note
Four warning notes to a page, written as a reminder rather than a threat.
Make itElf Colouring Sheets
Colouring sheets built for the elf tradition rather than for a colouring session: scenes the elf can be posed next...
Make itElf Props and Cut-Outs
Fourteen doll-sized props on two sheets: a sledge, a pair of skis, a suitcase, a sleeping bag, two signs with...
Make itThe three letters that matter
An arrival letter on the first night, a goodbye letter on the last, and a welcome back letter if the elf disappears for a few days and returns. Those three carry the whole tradition. The daily notes are optional and most families run out of enthusiasm for them by about the tenth of December, which is fine.
Each letter template takes the child's name and a couple of details, so it does not read like something printed off the internet. That is the only part that genuinely matters to a child.
Keeping it sustainable
Twenty-four nights of staged scenes is a commitment that most households regret by the second week. A letter on the first night, three or four notes across the month, a certificate near the end and a goodbye letter is plenty, and it is what children remember anyway.
The warning note exists for the night you forget. An elf that stayed still because it was watching is a better story than an elf nobody moved.
Handwriting and the elf
The letters print in a small uneven hand by default, which is both charming and useful, because it is visibly not the handwriting of anyone in the house. If you prefer to handwrite them, print the blank versions and use your non-dominant hand, which produces exactly the right slightly wobbly result.
A note on names
The templates say Christmas elf rather than any brand name, and the artwork is original. You can type whatever name your family uses into any of the letters, which is usually a name the children invented anyway.
Questions
- What elf letters do I actually need?
- An arrival letter for the first night, a goodbye letter for the last, and a welcome back letter if the elf leaves and returns. Daily notes are optional and most families use only three or four.
- Do the letters need to be handwritten?
- No. They print in a small uneven hand that is visibly not anyone in the house, which is the main thing. If you prefer to write them yourself, print the blank versions and use your non-dominant hand.
- Can I put our own elf name on the letters?
- Yes. Every letter template has a name field, so you can use whatever name your children came up with.
- What do I do on a night I forget to move the elf?
- Use the warning note. An elf that stayed still because it was watching is a better explanation than an elf nobody moved, and it buys you a night.