30 Kindness Ideas For Your Elf

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Before the world got crazy with their Elf on the Shelf traditions, our elf was around. He doesn’t seem to have a specific name other than The Elf and he came to us via my mother in law and my husband’s childhood. He’s vintage, a little rough around the edges and just perfect.

Our Elf doesn’t report to Santa and his magic doesn’t disappear if he is touched. He comes out to play every December- most of the time plays hide and seek or causes a little mischief. He is a kind elf who likes to remind us that December is a great time to do intentional acts of kindness for others.

He’s ziplined across our living room, suggested we make cookies for our neighbors, and built a tower out of plastic cups. From time to time, he brings small treats or suggests a holiday activity for us to do as a family. I’m not someone who lives and dies by the family advent calendar and our elf is the perfect combination of the magic of the holidays without the added pressure.

So far this year, The Elf has enjoyed quite the game of hide and seek but hasn’t done anything else yet. Until this morning, when The Elf brought a glitter and gum tree.

Glitter And Gum Tree Elf On The Shelf Idea

Specifically, he brought Wrigley Extra® Spearmint Gum, Extra® Peppermint Gum, Extra® Polar Ice Gum and Doublemint®. He also brought a gallon of glitter with him. Malone thought it was great fun and I was stoked to have a bunch of new gum on hand.

I picked our gum up at Dollar General.

I have long loved Wrigley Extra® Spearmint Gum and Doublemint®, they’re the two kinds of gum my grandmother always seemed to have in her purse. It’s such an affordable option, especially around the holidays and those hard to shop for or secret Santa gifts on your list. Everyone loves gum!

As I mentioned before, our Elf loves to spread kindness. While there wasn’t a direction from The Elf for Malone, Malone’s first instinct was to grab his broom and sweep up the mess that The Elf left us. I’ve found that kindness begets kindness, the more we practice it, the easier it seems to get.

Here are 30 kindness ideas for your Elf to suggest to your kids. These are all ideas that I’ve worked through with my kids, they’re not overwhelming or hard to do. You’re probably doing a bunch of these already.

1. Hold the door open for someone.
2. Pay for the drive thru order of someone behind you. (Malone’s absolute favorite one in the entire world.)
3. Send a snail mail note to a friend.
4. Give your sibling the benefit of the doubt.
5. Bring a treat to a neighbor.
6. Read someone a story.
7. Make a handmade gift.
8. Leave change in an envelope for someone at the vending machine.
9. Return someone else’s cart at the grocery store
10. Visit your neighbor. (My favorite. We do not bake anything in this house without a piece or two making their way to the neighbor’s house).
11. Leave a thank you note for your mailman.
12. Hide a note of encouragement in a library book.
13. Take old blankets, towels and sheets to the animal shelter.
14. Tell your sibling how much you love them.
15. Help mom and dad clean up dinner.
16. Write a thank you letter to anyone.
17. Leave a coupon next to the item it is for in the grocery store.
18. Call and check on someone you know lives alone.
19. Enjoy a treat together, like Wrigley gum!
20. Pay for the toll of the person behind you.
21. Call a homeless shelter. Ask what they need. Bring it.
22. Give your pets a few extra treats.
23. Drop a few coins at a playground for a child to find.
24. Walk the talk. Follow through on something you’ve been meaning to do.
25. Offer your expertise to someone who is new in your field.
26. Mail a surprise to a far away friend.
27. Buy a treat for the cashier when you check out.
28. Drop off a new stuffed animal to your fire station. Many fire stations keep a small stash to give to a child in crisis.
29. Leave a “have a happy day” note on the windshield of someone’s car.
30. Tell someone everything you love about them.

If you’re looking for something fun for your elf to do this year, I highly suggest having your elf bring glitter and gum. It vacuums up very easily, I promise!

What is your favorite flavor of gum?  Wrigley Extra® Spearmint Gum, Extra® Peppermint Gum, Extra® Polar Ice Gum or Doublemint®? Don’t forget to save big and grab yours at Dollar General!