When does the elf arrive?
The Christmas elf arrives during the night before 1 December and stays until Christmas Eve. Some families let it come on Advent Sunday, and many in America the day after Thanksgiving. Here is when, what to have ready the evening before, and ten ideas for the arrival.
When does the elf come?
There is no fixed date, so pick one and stick to it, because children remember when the elf came last year.
- 1 December is the most common in Sweden and in much of Europe. The elf’s stay then matches the advent calendar: 24 mornings, one for each door.
- Advent Sunday falls between 27 November and 3 December; in 2026 it is 29 November.
- The day after Thanksgiving is common in the United States, where many families with an Elf on the Shelf start the season then. In 2026 that is Friday 27 November.
How many days until the elf comes?
28 days until the elf comes on the most common date, 1 December 2026. Counted from today, 3 November 2026. For the other two dates:
- Advent Sunday, 29 November: 26 days left.
- The day after Thanksgiving, 27 November: 24 days left.
The evening before: what to have ready
Get everything ready on the evening before, once the children are asleep:
- Put up the door. A tiny door by the skirting board shows where the elf lives. There are elf doors to print for free, in three sizes.
- Put the elf in place, high up where the children see it straight away but cannot reach.
- Leave a welcome letter in which the elf introduces itself and explains the rules: it only moves when nobody is watching. There is a welcome letter on A4 to print for free, with the children’s and the elf’s names, and a farewell letter for Christmas Eve.
- Give it a name, or let the children decide on the first morning. Here are 70 elf names.
Ten elf arrival ideas
The children should be able to see that someone came in the night. Pick one, or combine two.
- With a suitcase. The elf sits on a shelf with a matchbox for a suitcase and a letter in its hand. It is the first day’s antic, free to read.
- Tiny moving boxes. Three matchboxes stacked by the door, labelled “Socks”, “Sweets” and “Important”.
- Footprints in flour. Sift a little flour in front of the door and press footprints with a fingertip, leading to where the elf sits.
- A glitter trail from the door to the elf. Lay a strip of paper underneath if the floor is hard to clean.
- Arrived with the snow. A little cotton wool or torn white paper round the door, as if the elf brought snow in.
- Stuck in the door. Only the legs stick out from behind the door, as if the elf did not quite make it. The next morning it sits in its place.
- The elf’s porridge. A small bowl with a knob of butter and a spoon. In the morning the bowl is empty.
- A map of the house drawn by the elf, with a cross where it lives and one where the children sleep.
- Unpacked already. A matchbox bed with a scrap of fabric for a blanket, and a tiny toothbrush beside it.
- A parcel on the doormat outside the elf door, with the welcome letter and something small to share, such as a clementine.
What goes in the welcome letter?
The elf says its name, that it lives with you until Christmas Eve and that it gets up to things at night. It asks the children not to touch it, because it only moves when nobody is watching. Short is best: two or three sentences are enough for a four-year-old.
The first morning, ready to set up
- 1 December · 5 min The elf moves in On the first morning the elf sits on a shelf with a tiny suitcase and a letter in its hand. Read the whole antic for free
What does the elf do after that?
Every night the elf gets up to something, and every morning the children find out what. It does not have to be big. Five minutes in the evening is enough, and the easiest ideas only need things you already have at home. For the youngest there are elf ideas for small children.
The Elf on the Shelf is a trademark of its owners. Busnissen is not connected with it; our elf is a Swedish nisse.
Questions about the elf
When does the Elf on the Shelf arrive?
There is no fixed date. Many American families let the elf arrive the day after Thanksgiving, which is 27 November in 2026. Others wait until 1 December, so the elf stays for 24 mornings until Christmas Eve.
What if the children wake up while I set up?
Say you heard a noise and came to look. The elf may have dropped something on the way in, so leave it next to the elf in the morning. Set up late, when the children are fast asleep, rather than early.
We missed the first night. Can the elf arrive later?
Yes. The elf may have been held up by snow, or had to help Father Christmas for a few more days. Let it explain in its first letter, and start on today's date.
When does the elf leave?
In Sweden the elf is gone on the morning of Christmas Eve, since Christmas is celebrated that evening. In English-speaking homes it usually leaves on Christmas Eve night, together with Father Christmas. Either way it leaves a farewell letter.
From what age does it work?
From about two, when a child can look for something and be glad to find it. Small children need simple antics without string or small parts.