Living Room Camping Trip

Field Manual EF-24

Your elf pitches a tent from a napkin, builds a tissue paper campfire and roasts a marshmallow on a stick. A cosy scene with almost no mess at all.

Set-up time: 10 minutes
Morning-after tidy: No mess

Supplies

Requisition slip

A cloth napkin or an open book for a tent
Red, orange and yellow tissue paper
Twigs or pretzel sticks
One marshmallow
A flashlight (optional)

Setting the scene

1Drape a napkin over two cups, or stand an open book upside down, to make a tent.
2Bunch tissue paper into a pretend campfire ringed with twigs.
3Spear a marshmallow on a twig or pretzel stick and give it to the elf.
4Point a flashlight at the scene for extra atmosphere, if you have one spare.

Tonight's note · Form EF-3

The Bureau of Whimsy

Elf Field Operations

Watching Kindly. Reporting Daily.

Field Elf DispatchWorkshop Annex 7, North Pole

Case No.EF-2026-43745

FormEF-3

IssuedDecember 14, 2026

Re: Nightly Field Dispatch

Morning report for Maya and Leo, night 7:

I’m camping in the living room tonight. The fire is pretend, the marshmallow is real and the stars are on the ceiling if you squint. It’s the cosiest camping trip I’ve ever been on.

Today’s mission: practise your best giggle. I’ll be listening.

Elf-ishly yours,

Field Elf Pip

Field Elf, First Class

Elf Field Operations

P.S. I’m very good at hide-and-seek. You’re better. Don’t tell anyone I said that.

The note your elf leaves, printed on Elf Field Operations letterhead. Filed here for Maya; yours carries your child’s name.Print this note Plan all 24 nights

More scenes like this one

All easy ideas

Cross-references

ArrivalMarshmallow
Hot Cocoa Welcome Station
Your elf arrives with a tiny cocoa bar: mugs, cocoa mix and mini marshmallows set out for breakfast. A warm, easy first morning in ten minutes.
10 minNo mess
MarshmallowCandy cane
Marshmallow Fishing Trip
Your elf goes fishing in a bowl of marshmallows with a candy cane rod and a paper clip hook. A sweet, funny scene set up with what's in the pantry.
10 minA little mess
Building bricksFunny
The Great Toy Parade
Your elf leads a parade of small figures, toy cars and brick models across the floor, complete with a paper banner. Easy, tidy and very photogenic.
10 minNo mess

Paperwork that pairs with this scene

Elf Field Operations

Form EF-3Free
Elf Nightly Note
A short note from the elf for tonight: a kindness mission, a joke, a countdown or an explanation for this morning's mess.
Letter
Form EF-2Free
Elf Incident Report
When the elf gets up to something: an official report with offense, evidence, witness statement and a (very lenient) ruling.
Official form
Form EF-1Free
Elf Arrival Letter
Your elf's first-morning letter: introductions, the nightly-report routine and a few house rules, all very official.
Letter

Easy Elf Ideas for Exhausted Parents: A Survival Guide
Elf season doesn't have to mean elaborate scenes every night. Here's how to keep the magic going on the energy you actually have.
3 min read · Elf Field Operations
Planning Your Elf's Arrival and Goodbye
The first and last nights frame the whole season. Here's how to make the arrival exciting and the goodbye warm.
4 min read · Elf Field Operations

Scene set. Note printed. Bedtime.

Print the note with your child's name in about thirty seconds. Classic wording is always free.

Print this note File an incident report