Number One: The Magic of Friendship (PART ONE)
One of the most rewarding aspects of life is friendship. Magic Elves present many avenues for enriching and celebrating friendships. So lets start out our holiday season focusing on friendship. What ways can we use the Magic Elf concept to deepen our relationships with friends? How can we find time to enjoy being with others, get a few things accomplished, and create memories that will stay with us forever?
Elf Friendship Tea: Consider hosting an Elf Friendship Tea. There are several recipes out there for Friendship tea or serve different flavored teas. A lot of Christmas-y ones are available. Make this an early holiday tradition starting late November or the first of December. Relaxing with friends and enjoying tea, sconces, and other delicacies. And don’t forget to rename one or all of the teas with an “elf name”. Create invitations from the Elves and mail them or hand deliver them to a few of your closest friends. They may roll their eyes about those impish elves but your friends will enjoy a relaxing afternoon tea before the busy holiday season swings into action. Make sure you include the Elves with their own tiny tea service. What a cute centerpiece that would make! If you decide to use Friendship Tea, package it in small jars with adorable elf labels. Making small elf ornaments for favors is another option to consider.
Magic Elf Tag: Here’s how Elf Tag works. Find an elf…a cute one, funny one, old or new but not too big. Someone has to start the game. They need to find a way to “hide” the elf in a friend’s house. They MUST email or leave a note with a clue to the elf’s whereabouts. That friend must find it and pass it on and on and on. The catch is that it all STOPS at midnight on December 23rd and whoever is left with the elf must keep him until the following season and then start the game again. PLUS if you would like to spice it up a bit; the person who ends up with the elf has to host or arrange a post holiday friend gathering some time in January. It could be as simple as planning a Happy Hour or as elaborate as a dinner party.
Elf Travel Contest: This little game can be carried on through out the whole year. The goal is whenever one of the friends goes on a trip, vacation, or even a trip to the grocery store be on the look out for elves or anything related (you can stretch it a bit). Then snap a picture of the elf or item and email it or share it with the others. If it’s inexpensive you might purchase it. Use your imagination: look for things like small clothes, red or green items, little dishes, cars, candy cane striped stuff, bells, interesting sayings on signs etc. Whoever collects the most “elf sightings” or is the most creative…wins the contest.
Elf-Friends Gratitude Journal: Everyone knows about gratitude journals but how about an Elf one? Find a smaller sized journal (elf sized) and either use it “as is” or alter it to look elfish or Christmas-y. This will be your Elfish style gratitude journal. Now pass the journal around among friends for the holiday season. The “elves” should write down things they are grateful for. It would be nice to focus the entries on things you are thankful for about each other, the season and life in general. If this is too complicated then make up some individual Elf gratitude journals and pass them out to your friends for their private, personal enjoyment.
Friendships are the things that keep us sane in a rather crazy world so the Magic of Friendship is a fun way to start our elfing adventures. Later in the week I'll be back to post PART TWO but in the meantime...I would love to hear your ideas for bringing the Magic Elves to life for your friends.
One of the most rewarding aspects of life is friendship. Magic Elves present many avenues for enriching and celebrating friendships. So lets start out our holiday season focusing on friendship. What ways can we use the Magic Elf concept to deepen our relationships with friends? How can we find time to enjoy being with others, get a few things accomplished, and create memories that will stay with us forever?
Elf Friendship Tea: Consider hosting an Elf Friendship Tea. There are several recipes out there for Friendship tea or serve different flavored teas. A lot of Christmas-y ones are available. Make this an early holiday tradition starting late November or the first of December. Relaxing with friends and enjoying tea, sconces, and other delicacies. And don’t forget to rename one or all of the teas with an “elf name”. Create invitations from the Elves and mail them or hand deliver them to a few of your closest friends. They may roll their eyes about those impish elves but your friends will enjoy a relaxing afternoon tea before the busy holiday season swings into action. Make sure you include the Elves with their own tiny tea service. What a cute centerpiece that would make! If you decide to use Friendship Tea, package it in small jars with adorable elf labels. Making small elf ornaments for favors is another option to consider.
Magic Elf Tag: Here’s how Elf Tag works. Find an elf…a cute one, funny one, old or new but not too big. Someone has to start the game. They need to find a way to “hide” the elf in a friend’s house. They MUST email or leave a note with a clue to the elf’s whereabouts. That friend must find it and pass it on and on and on. The catch is that it all STOPS at midnight on December 23rd and whoever is left with the elf must keep him until the following season and then start the game again. PLUS if you would like to spice it up a bit; the person who ends up with the elf has to host or arrange a post holiday friend gathering some time in January. It could be as simple as planning a Happy Hour or as elaborate as a dinner party.
Elf Travel Contest: This little game can be carried on through out the whole year. The goal is whenever one of the friends goes on a trip, vacation, or even a trip to the grocery store be on the look out for elves or anything related (you can stretch it a bit). Then snap a picture of the elf or item and email it or share it with the others. If it’s inexpensive you might purchase it. Use your imagination: look for things like small clothes, red or green items, little dishes, cars, candy cane striped stuff, bells, interesting sayings on signs etc. Whoever collects the most “elf sightings” or is the most creative…wins the contest.
Elf-Friends Gratitude Journal: Everyone knows about gratitude journals but how about an Elf one? Find a smaller sized journal (elf sized) and either use it “as is” or alter it to look elfish or Christmas-y. This will be your Elfish style gratitude journal. Now pass the journal around among friends for the holiday season. The “elves” should write down things they are grateful for. It would be nice to focus the entries on things you are thankful for about each other, the season and life in general. If this is too complicated then make up some individual Elf gratitude journals and pass them out to your friends for their private, personal enjoyment.
Friendships are the things that keep us sane in a rather crazy world so the Magic of Friendship is a fun way to start our elfing adventures. Later in the week I'll be back to post PART TWO but in the meantime...I would love to hear your ideas for bringing the Magic Elves to life for your friends.
