The elf saw it happen
This is the advantage of a certificate from the elf rather than from Santa. It can refer to a moment: on Tuesday when your sister was upset, you sat with her. A child knows the elf was in the room, and the specificity is what gives the certificate weight.
Write the reason as something observed rather than a general quality. Being kind is a judgement. Sitting with your sister is a thing that happened.
When to give it
The week before Christmas works well, or the same night as the goodbye letter if you want one moment rather than two. Some families use it mid-month as a reset when behaviour has been difficult, which works if the certificate is genuinely earned and does not if it is a bribe.
One per child, with different reasons. Identical certificates get compared and the point is lost.
Designs and printing
Three designs: a plain bordered certificate, one with a striped elf border, and one shaped like a small award tag that can be tied to something. All three take a name, a reason, a date and a signature line.
160gsm card, landscape or portrait. These get pinned to bedroom doors, so the card weight is worth it.
Questions
- Why have the elf award the certificate rather than Santa?
- Because the elf has been in the house and can name a specific moment it saw. A certificate that refers to something that actually happened on a particular day carries far more weight with a child.
- What should the reason say?
- Something observed rather than a general quality. Sitting with your sister when she was upset works. Being kind does not, because it reads as a judgement rather than a memory.
- When should I give it?
- The week before Christmas, or alongside the goodbye letter. Mid-month works as a reset if it is genuinely earned, but it should not be used as a bribe.
- How many designs are there?
- Three: a plain bordered certificate, a striped elf border, and a smaller award tag that can be tied to something, all in landscape or portrait.