christmas traditions kindness elves • notice the LITTLE things

*see an updated version of this post with updated kindness calendar and letter HERE.

our kindness elves arrived today. they made their first appearance in our house after my mom sent me this cute write up from the imagination tree. we thought it was a great twist on the elf on a shelf tradition. i like elf on a shelf, but they are everywhere. i knew i would have to answer too many questions about why the elf was at our house and also in a box at costco. additionally, i am always looking for ways to teach our children about the true spirit of christmas.

kindness for the christmas season

a few years ago, we decided we weren’t going to focus on the santa’s watching concept. here’s the thing. for me, saying santa’s watching implies that if my kids are good they will get presents and if they are bad they won’t. don’t get me wrong. sometimes it does help change their behavior in the moment. but i get tired of saying it because when it doesn’t work, i know i am not really going to take presents away. our kids are younger. and sometimes they are going to misbehave. in these moments, i like consequences that have a more realistic follow through.

instead, we tell our kids they receive gifts from santa for Jesus’ birthday no matter what. we try to explain that the presents celebrate the day Jesus was born and Jesus loves us no matter what {not because we are good or bad}. and then we focus on kindness.

i am into anything that encourages and rewards my kiddos for being kind. the kindness elves are perfect for this. they arrive on december 1st. every couple days, they give the kids a new kindness project. then, they report back to santa on the kindness they see. occasionally they will bring the kids small gifts {because i think that’s fun} but generally, their presence centers around the kindness projects. the elves help remind the kids throughout the month that Jesus is especially proud of any extra kindness they spread and the elves are at our house to watch and tell santa about this kindness.

each year, the elves arrive with a note. here is a picture of the note from their arrival the first year. if you’d like a copy of this note to personalize for your family, click here.

here is our second year’s note. if you’d like a copy of this note to use for your family, click here.

we purchased our elves through amazon. you can also purchase the adorable original kindness elves here from their official website. they are more popular now than when we first started, so it is much easier to get them! also, if you are already doing elf on the shelf and you like this idea, your elf could easily {and magically} start delivering kind deeds and you can use this letter to help.

as i said, every few mornings in december, our elves return with a new kindness project for the kids. here are some examples of projects the kids have done {and you can grab your OWN FREE christmas kindness calendar here!} ::

making cards to drop off at a nearby assisted living facility.
doing a secret kindness project during the day {making someone’s bed, cleaning someone’s room, straightening without being asked, etc.}.
making a list of all the things they love about each immediate family member.
giving out five compliments to family members.
choosing three toys, books, or shoes to donate to a charity.
smiling at someone new at school.
writing a note or coloring a picture for a neighbor.
saying an extra prayer for someone.
calling someone to tell them why you are thankful for them.

the {re}arrival of the elves each year is a huge hit. it is as exciting for us to watch the kids search for the elves each morning as it is for them to discover them somewhere new. and watching them get excited to spread kindness? well that’s always welcome around here.

wishing you a merry christmas season filled with kindness!