Unpacking the Suitcase

Field Manual EF-24

Your elf arrives mid-unpack: a tiny suitcase spilling doll clothes, a toothbrush and a map of the North Pole. A gentle arrival, perfect for toddlers.

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

Supplies

Requisition slip

A small box for a suitcase
Doll clothes or fabric scraps
A cotton swab for a toothbrush
A hand-drawn map

Setting the scene

1Fill the small box with doll clothes or folded fabric scraps.
2Add a cotton swab “toothbrush” and a hand-drawn North Pole map.
3Open the box and spill a few items out, as if the elf is halfway through unpacking.
4Sit the elf next to it holding the map.

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

Good morning, Maya and Leo!

I’ve only just arrived and I’ve already lost a sock. If you find a very small sock, it’s mine. I brought my toothbrush, because the Department of Teeth would never forgive me otherwise.

Today’s mission: be kind, be brave, and be you.

Love from your elf,

Pip the Elf

Field Elf, First Class

Elf Field Operations

P.S. I’m moving to a new spot tonight. Start guessing now.

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

ArrivalToddler-friendly
Special Delivery Box
Your elf arrives inside a parcel stamped “Fragile: Contains Elf”, ready to unwrap at breakfast. Easy, no mess and brilliant for classrooms too.
10 minNo mess
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
Toilet paperToddler-friendly
Toilet Roll Castle
Your elf builds a castle from toilet paper rolls with a paper flag on top, then stands guard at the gate. Quick, tidy and perfect for little ones to rebuild.
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-1Free
Elf Arrival Letter
Your elf's first-morning letter: introductions, the nightly-report routine and a few house rules, all very official.
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

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