• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Aileen Cooks

  • Meet Aileen
    • Contact Me
    • Work With Me
    • Privacy Policy
  • My Cookbooks
  • Recipes
    • Air Fryer Recipes
    • Appetizer Recipes
    • Bread Recipes
    • Breakfast Recipes
    • Casserole Recipes
    • Cooking Recipes for Kids
    • Crockpot Recipes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Drink Recipes
    • Freezer Meals
      • Beginner’s Guide to Planning a Freezer Cooking Day
      • Crockpot Freezer Meals – Recipes & Shopping List
      • 5 Casserole Freezer Meals + Printable Shopping List
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • Main Dish Recipes
    • Side Dish Recipes
    • Soup Recipes
  • Instant Pot Recipes
    • Instant Pot Breakfast Recipes
    • Instant Pot Appetizers
    • Instant Pot Side Dishes
    • Instant Pot Soup Recipes
    • Instant Pot Pasta Recipes
    • Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
    • Instant Pot Beef Recipes
    • Instant Pot Pork Recipes
    • Instant Pot Dessert Recipes
  • Mom Life
    • Cleaning Tutorials
    • Diy and Crafts
      • Crafts for Kids
      • Cricut
      • Free Printables
      • Play Dough Recipes
    • Home and Garden
    • Organizing Tutorials
    • Parenting
    • Subscription Box Reviews
  • Travel
    • Camping
    • Disneyland
    • Hotel Travel
    • Museums
  • Homeschool
You are here: Home / Mom Life / Kindness Elves, an Alternative to Elf on the Shelf

Kindness Elves, an Alternative to Elf on the Shelf

November 17, 2016 By Aileen 8 Comments This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

208 shares
  • Facebook20
  • Twitter
  • Yummly

Note: This post on the kindness elves contains affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Kindness Elves are a wonderful alternative to Elf on the Shelf. I first learned about this fun Christmas tradition from my friend who does it with her boys every year (thanks for the inspiration, K). She uses a small elf ornament she got from her Mom.

Kindness Elves are a wonderful alternative to elf on the shelf. They are a magical Christmas tradition focused on the joy of family and giving. Post from aileencooks.com.

I know there are many people who absolutely love Elf on the Shelf. I think the crazy antics they get into are very fun. But, I am not crazy about the idea of telling my kids an elf is watching them and will report back to Santa. I also don’t want to give my toddler any more ideas on how to make a mess. She makes plenty of creative messes on her own (you can find a few examples on Instagram). There is so much more to Christmas and the holiday season then Santa’s visit on Christmas Eve.

You may also like: Christmas Breakfast Casserole

Kindness Elves are a wonderful alternative to elf on the shelf. They are a magical Christmas tradition focused on the joy of family and giving. Post from aileencooks.com.

I love the idea that the kindness elves focus on acts of kindness for others and celebrating the holiday season.

I want to teach my children about the giving season. I want to encourage them to take joy in doing things for others and enjoy the little moments the Christmas season has to offer. Like watching Christmas movies together and drinking hot cocoa.

When to start with the Kindness Elves

I plan to introduce the Kindness Elves on December 1st and have them suggest a new activity each day. They will move overnight and will leave a note for the kids with the activity for that day. For those that want to follow along, I’ll share photos each day on Instagram.

There last visit will be on Christmas Eve. They will ask us to bake cookies for Santa and leave our Christmas Eve box to be opened after dinner. (Our Christmas Eve box generally has new pajamas for each child, popcorn, hot cocoa, and a new movie to watch together)

Kindness Elves are a wonderful alternative to elf on the shelf. They are a magical Christmas tradition focused on the joy of family and giving. Post from aileencooks.com.

Actives to do with your Kindness Elves

  • Opening our Christmas Eve box
  • Watching Christmas movies
  • Decorating gingerbread houses with cousins
  • Wrapping Presents
  • Picking out a Christmas Tree
  • Decorating the house
  • Making ornaments
  • Baking cookies for Santa

Acts of Kindness

  • Baking bread or muffins for our neighbors
  • Making Christmas cards for Grandma and Grandpa
  • Taking Mommy’s car to the car wash
  • Picking out and delivering a toy to Toys for Tots
  • Helping Mommy make breakfast, lunch, or dinner
  • Picking out a Christmas present for Daddy
  • Taking the dog for a walk
  • Cleaning something around the house
  • Read a new book about the giving season (I have my eye on this Berenstain Bears Book)
  • Making presents for friends (like this play dough recipe)

What do you think? Do you prefer Kindness Elves or Elf on the Shelf?

Kindness Elves are a wonderful alternative to elf on the shelf. They are a magical Christmas tradition focused on the joy of family and giving. Post from aileencooks.com.

We love the kindness elves and really enjoyed celebrating the spirit of the season and encouraging acts of kindness with our children.

208 shares
  • Facebook20
  • Twitter
  • Yummly

Filed Under: Christmas, Family Traditions, Holidays, Mom Life

Previous Post: « Cajun Chicken Pasta
Next Post: Fast and Easy Biscuits »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Johanna

    November 17, 2016 at 4:12 pm

    I’m going to be doing kindness elfs but since I already have the girl and boy elf on a shelf I’m just going to use them. They came last year but just moved around no mess, no notes. This year they still won’t be making a mess but will be leaving notes 😉

    Reply
    • Aileen

      November 17, 2016 at 9:11 pm

      Nice! We might have to exchange notes. I’m really excited about the kindness elves, but am afraid I’ll forget to set everything up each night. 🙂

      Reply
  2. sgauger0726

    November 18, 2016 at 4:59 pm

    Love this idea!

    Reply
  3. Starla J @ Pressing In and Pressing On

    December 21, 2016 at 1:32 pm

    So sweet. What a great alternative. We are enjoying Melk the Christmas Monkey this year.

    Reply
    • Aileen

      December 21, 2016 at 2:50 pm

      So fun!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Healthy Christmas Tree Fruit Platter - Aileen Cooks says:
    December 12, 2016 at 5:00 am

    […] for my kids and their cousins to snack on while decorating gingerbread houses (thanks to our Kindness Elves). Because candy. My kids ate So Much Candy! I knew they would, so I tried to be prepared with these […]

    Reply
  2. Chocolate Butterscotch Cookies - Aileen Cooks says:
    December 16, 2016 at 5:01 am

    […] made these cookies with my kids when their kindness elves had them bake cookies for their cousins. This was their first time tasting butterscotch and they […]

    Reply
  3. Sharpie Plate Tutorial - Aileen Cooks says:
    January 21, 2017 at 10:43 am

    […] Kindness Elves […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Meet Aileen

Aileen Clark is a lifestyle blogger, bestselling cookbook author, and mom of four living in Northern California. She loves sharing easy and delicious recipes, fun projects, and family-friendly travel.

Let’s Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Subscribe to our Newsletter

We will send you our Favorite Instant Pot Dinner Recipes eBook just for signing up!

My Cookbooks

Image of the cover of The "I Love My Air Fryer" Affordable Meals Recipe Book.
Front cover of The "I Love My Instant Pot" Affordable Meals Recipe Book.

COPYRIGHT © 2021 Aileen Cooks

208 shares
  • 20