Your family’s elf talks exactly three times a season where a note helps: the night it arrives, the morning somebody touches it, and Christmas Eve when it goes home. Here are all three, short enough to copy onto a small card in your best not-your-own handwriting.
1. The arrival letter (the night after Thanksgiving, or Dec 1)
Dear [Name],
I made it! Santa sent me to your house this year because he has heard such good things. I will be watching, flying back to the North Pole every night to tell him about your day, and coming back by morning.
Two rules: please do not touch me (it takes my magic), and please tell me your wishes out loud, because I am very good at remembering.
Your elf, [Elf’s name]
2. The “you touched me” letter (for the morning it happens)
Dear [Name],
Oops! Somebody gave me a little bump. That’s all right. Elves lose a bit of magic when they’re touched, but Santa says a kind deed gets it back.
Could you do one nice thing for someone today? I’ll be ready to fly by tonight.
Your elf, [Elf’s name]
3. The goodbye letter (Christmas Eve)
Dear [Name],
Tonight I fly home with Santa. I have told him everything, and I’m proud of what I got to report: [one real thing they did this year].
I’ll be back next year. Until then, keep being the kind of kid Santa loves to hear about.
Your elf, [Elf’s name]
Tips parents swap about elf letters
- Write in a hand your kid does not know: capitals, your other hand, or print it.
- The goodbye letter is the keeper. Put one real thing in it that only you would have noticed.
- A touched elf is a chance for a kind deed, not a punishment.
Want a letter from Santa himself?
The elf reports; Santa writes. A letter from Santa with your child’s name, mailed in a red envelope hand-addressed in white ink, with a North Pole return address and a real stamp. Free letter. $6.99 shipping. Or every word written by hand in red ink, with their best friend and their biggest wish in it.