Our elf is back, and he’s brought a few snowy footprints with him! ❄️
The little boot prints lead from the door to his suitcase, where he’s waiting with a “Back from the North Pole!” note. We suspect he has plenty of stories about the journey.
This elf arrival idea uses a footprint stencil and a little flour on a paper runner. The trail makes his return easy to spot, then lifts away with the paper afterwards.
What you’ll need:
- One official Elf on the Shelf doll (paid link)
- Elf footprint stencils (paid link) – a pack of two red elf footprint stencil sheets
- A strip of brown wrapping paper
- A small amount of plain flour
- A teaspoon or little sieve
- A small homemade paper suitcase
- Paper and a pen for the arrival note
- Optional: A DIY miniature suitcase and pretend Lapland passport kit (paid link)
Setup:
Lay the brown paper flat from the door towards the spot where your elf will sit. Hold a stencil against it and gently dust a little flour through the boot shapes, then lift it straight up. Repeat only as much as you need for a short trail, keeping the prints and loose dust on the paper. Sit your elf at the far end against his little suitcase, with his legs to one side of the footprints. Put the arrival note near his mittens and leave the red stencil at the paper’s edge if you like. The curled toes and separate heels make the prints look distinctly elfish. A few pairs are enough to suggest his journey.
You can replace the homemade suitcase with the card luggage kit. Assemble it before setting out the flour trail, then stand the little pretend passport beside your elf. It is a prop for his North Pole journey, so it does not need to suggest a real family trip has been booked.
Make it cheaply:
Draw little curled-toe boot shapes on white paper, cut them out and lay them along the runner. You can also make your own stencil from thick scrap card and use a white pencil to colour through it. A folded box becomes the suitcase. The note and short trail work even if you skip the flour completely.
Try the North Pole post office or the scooter present-delivery round for another elf scene.
