**i’ve teamed up with some super smart friends on a series of posts about something i am trying so hard to be mindful of this year…an intentional christmas! no more hectic, last minute, and over-scheduled. be sure to stick around to the end of this post for easy links to their valuable posts for keeping your priorities straight for a happy, peaceful christmas season! 

it’s no secret, kind is the new cool. KIND is quite the buzz word lately, as it should be. if you’re a parent, you know it’s one thing to tell your kids to be kind. i say it a zillion times a day. but to actually get them to choose kind when you’re not looking and when it’s hard? THAT is a whole different story.

kindness is like so many other things. the more you practice, the easier it is. that being said, at first i wasn’t too sure about this whole business of elves. i almost decided against it for our family. taking on yet another commitment during the holidays? that’s not high on my list of things to do each year.

something that IS on my list? finding new ways to keep my kiddos’ minds and hearts on the spirit of christmas.

if you’re a parent, you know this is HARD. with christmas decor and catalogues coming out before halloween {no kidding, my daughter is scouring a target christmas catalogue as i type this}, the focus is easily on the gifts. don’t get me wrong. gifts are fun! but if i don’t teach my kids the reason behind the gifts? i don’t have a lot of faith the world will do it for me.

much to my surprise, these sweet LITTLE kindness elves have become one of the best ways we’ve been able to keep our kiddos focused on what’s important during the holiday season.

a few years ago, my mom sent me this link. it was here, at the imagination tree blog, that i was introduced to the idea of the kindness elves.

similar to anna, author of the imagination tree, i was hesitant to implement the elf on a shelf tradition. please know, i think the pictures people post on facebook are hilarious. for so many families, this is such a fun tradition. for me, i knew i couldn’t keep up the momentum or idea behind the shelf elf. not to mention explain to my kids why he was also sitting in a box on the shelf at costco.

we try not to use the santa is watching line with our kids {which i think is the premise behind elf on a shelf}. before i tell you why, please know i don’t promise to know what i am talking about in regards to every family. i do not have any fancy parenting opinions on what does and doesn’t work for all kids and behavior. my parents TOTALLY used that line. i am just a mama trying to keep her head above water, doing what i feel is best for my family. so if you’re interested, here’s why we don’t use it:

• i can’t follow through with it. santa is watching, so if you do that, you won’t get any presents is not something i can make good on. inevitably, my kids will get presents, for jesus’ birthday, a time of joy. so if they don’t stop the behavior because santa is watching? then what? the consequence is sooo far away!
• i don’t have a good follow up for it. i think santa {or elf on the shelf} is watching works, initially, to make a child stop doing something bad or annoying or mean. which can be great in the moment. but come january, then what?

now, elves that assign and report back on acts of kindness? THAT is something i can get behind! THAT sounds like the magic of christmas!

i decided to run with the kindness elves idea for our family. i cannot tell you what a difference it’s made in the way our kids approach the days leading up to christmas. not to mention how much it has helped me help them stay focused on the good {and not the gifts}!

i am so excited to share our version with you. i hope you can use it to really get into the spirit of christmas kindness.

i thought long and hard about how i wanted to present the whole concept to our kids. my goal was to open their eyes to the true magic and goodness and love and wonder of christmas, the birth of jesus! here is the letter i wrote to our kids to start off the fun.

if you would like a copy of this letter to tailor to your own family, you can sign up and grab one here.

with the letter drafted, i bought our elves. i tried to find the exact ones the imagination tree used. back then, the idea was still new and i couldn’t figure out how to purchase them. now the original kindness elves have their very own website which makes it really easy if you want to get yours there.

our elves are from…wait for it…amazon. they arrived in a hurry {as i imagine elves do} and there was a boy and a girl. perfect. also? one time we thought placing them on the chandelier for the kids to find would be so much fun. except one of their faces melted on a light bulb. parenting fail. amazon prime to the rescue.

each year, our elves arrive with a letter on december 1st. it is a MUCH anticipated day! the first year, they appeared on our small, artificial christmas tree. they had kindly assembled it for my son for his room. the elves’ main job is to inspire kindness each day. then they report kindness back to santa. they do not report unkindness. if you aren’t kind, you just don’t get any mention to santa. and who wants that? because if santa knows about your kindness, then jesus knows about it too. because they work together.

for the past three years, our elves have written a note with a kindness assignment every few days. then they stay in place as they watch for the project to be completed. the elves report back to santa on progress. when a project is finished, they arrive in a new place in the house with a new project {accompanied by a note to explain}.

sometimes, the elves even bring small gifts to the kids. something to help them with a project or something just because. the projects are always kid friendly and rarely require adult help. that’s the point. some examples of kindness projects the elves have assigned include:

• writing a note to a friend.
• giving out 5 compliments during the day.
• cleaning someone else’s room.
• reading to a sibling or younger neighbor.
• playing a game you don’t like, but you know your sibling likes.
• including someone new in an activity at school.

this year, i am going to change it up a bit. on december 1st, the elves are going to present my kids with this kindness calendar. it details an act of kindness for each day leading up to christmas. the elves will still appear in new places some mornings. they will still bring a new note from time to time, with more project details or fun supplies {stickers for letter writing, markers for picture making, etc.}.

i will admit, the hardest part about the kindness elves each year is making up new and appropriate projects every few days. in the past, it’s kept me up later than i’d like or found me sneaking downstairs at the crack of dawn before the children wake up. not this year! i decided to take the guesswork out of it for for myself and for YOU with this calendar. no more last minute scrambling for ideas!

to make your life a million times easier, you can grab the password to download your own copy of the christmas kindness calendar here. the calendar includes activities for you and your family to last the WHOLE month of december. you will also get a copy of the letter for december 1st, a blank calendar if you prefer to fill in your own projects, and a bunch of other fun FREEBIES.

as i create new letters, design printables, take pictures, and expand on ideas for our elves this year, i will post them to the facebook page – notice the LITTLE things kindness elves. to be added to this fun page, like notice the LITTLE things on facebook. i will post a link there for the special kindness elves page. {don’t have facebook? email me at erin@noticethelittlethings.com}

already doing elf on the shelf? make your elf a kindness elf this year! you can use the same calendar with your elf on a shelf, just focus on KINDNESS!

the elves’ arrival that first year was a total hit! watching my kids’ reactions each december, their attitudes toward each other, and the constant reminder of jesus’ kindness as the true meaning behind christmas – this has erased all my doubt in regards to taking on this new tradition.

are you excited for the christmas season? me too! grab your FREE calendar of kindness activities here, purchase your elves, and start believing!

*affiliate links used.

psssst. i’ve teamed up with some of my favorite bloggers!

in regards to the holiday season, this year i’ve made it a goal to plan ahead and be as INTENTIONAL as possible. this includes prioritizing what i feel is most important in regards to our spending, our giving, our service, our calendar, our traditions, and our focus on what is truly GOOD about this season. if you are looking to be intentional about the way you spend YOUR time and energy this holiday season, below you will find super helpful tips to do just that!

click on the links below the pictures to learn how to make this christmas your most intentional yet…

{1} 7 practical ways to love your neighbor this christmas by Isabel at Family Life Blog.

{2} 5 tips for a less stressful holiday by Heather at Happy Humble Home.

{3} 7 steps to a debt-free christmas by Amy at Deliberately Here.

enjoy friends! 

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