Christmas elves are small magical characters connected with the Christmas season, secret surprises and children’s excitement in December. Today, many families know them as Santa’s helpers, but their story is older than the modern idea of elves working in Santa’s workshop.

The roots of Christmas elves go back to Nordic and Scandinavian folklore. In Denmark and Norway, a similar little figure is called a nisse. In Sweden, he is known as a tomte, and in Finland as a tonttu. These figures were often described as small household spirits who lived close to the home, farm or stable. They were believed to look after the family, animals and house — especially when people treated them with care and respect.

Over time, these old household spirits became part of Christmas traditions. They moved from barns and old farm stories into December homes, children’s books, advent calendars and festive decorations. In Nordic countries, elves are still a much-loved part of Christmas. In many other countries, they are now familiar through Santa stories, elf letters, small gifts and playful Christmas traditions for children.

This is why an elf letter feels so special to a child. It turns a small Christmas surprise into a little story. The elf is not just leaving a treat — the elf has noticed the child, written a message and made the waiting time before Christmas feel more magical.

There is no single rule for when Christmas elves start visiting. Different families and countries have their own traditions, which makes this part of Christmas especially fun for children.

In many homes, Christmas elves begin their visits on 1 December and continue until Christmas Eve on 24 December. This fits well with the most common advent calendars, where children open one door each day during December while they wait for Christmas.

Another popular tradition is that the elves arrive on the first Sunday of Advent. Because Advent begins on a different date each year, the elves may arrive in late November or at the beginning of December.

Some families also like to include Christmas Day itself and count all the way to 25 December. This is common with some Christmas countdowns and advent calendars that have an extra door for Christmas morning.

For children, the exact date is often less important than the feeling it creates. A small surprise, a kind note or a printable elf letter can turn an ordinary December morning into a moment full of excitement. That is why many families choose the tradition that fits their home best.

Children usually have a simple answer to this question: Christmas elves could visit forever.

Many children start to understand the story behind Christmas elves around the age of 7 to 9. This often happens in a very ordinary way. A child may notice a parent preparing a small surprise, hear something from an older child or simply begin to ask more questions about how the elves really work.

But this does not mean that the magic has to end. Very often, the tradition simply changes. An older child can become an elf helper and help keep the Christmas excitement alive for younger siblings, cousins or friends.

In our family, this became one of the sweetest parts of Christmas. When my child understood who was behind the elf surprises, the joy did not disappear. Instead, he started making small surprises for his grandparents, because he thought they had also been very good.

Christmas elf visits do not need to stop when a child learns the truth. For many families, they grow into a shared Christmas tradition that can continue with older children and even teenagers. At that point, it is less about believing in the elf and more about the small moments of joy that make December feel special.

Here are 7 of our favourite elf stocking filler ideas for children.

1. A sweet treat from elf land
   Choose a special chocolate, candy or small treat from another country — something your child does not see in everyday shops.
2. Chocolate with a personalised wrapper
   Print a festive elf-themed wrapper for an ordinary chocolate bar or decorate it with Christmas stickers.
3. An elf colouring page
   Print a colouring page and add a few coloured pencils. It is simple, small and gives the child something to do in the morning.
4. A small elf craft
   Find a printable paper craft online that your child can cut out, fold or glue together.
5. Something new to taste
   Buy an unusual fruit or snack your child has not tried before. A small new taste can feel like a real Christmas surprise.
6. A special morning drink
   Add a small pack of cocoa drink powder, milkshake powder or hot chocolate mix with mini marshmallows.
7. An elf challenge
   Leave a small task, clue or mini treasure hunt. The treasure can be something simple, such as balloons, stickers or a printable elf letter.

👉 Looking for more ideas? Read our blog post: 50 fun elf stocking filler ideas for children.

Every child is different. One child may be happiest with a favourite chocolate, another may love crafts, and someone else may enjoy a small toy or activity.

“Choose your own 7 surprises” is a Lastella product that lets you create a box with 7 small surprises for your child. You can choose from around 20 different options and put together a set that suits your child’s age, interests and favourite activities.

It works like a weekly elf surprise box. Seven December mornings are already planned, but you still have the freedom to add other small treats, elf letters or family traditions on the remaining days.

“Choose your own 7 surprises” also works well as a Christmas gift for children, because one gift turns into seven little moments of joy.

An elf letter does not need to be long or complicated. The best Christmas elf letters are often short and personal, playful and funny, or include a small hint or task for the child. Here are three simple elf letter ideas that work well.

1. A praise letter with a small task
Praise your child for something real they did and add a small task for the day.

Example:
Hello, clever child!
The elf noticed that you put your toys away so nicely today. That made me very happy. Today I have a small task for you: give someone in your family an extra big hug.
Warm wishes from the elf

2. A funny and playful elf letter
A playful elf letter can include a funny detail or a small mishap that happened while the elf was visiting during the night.

Example:
Hello!
Last night I tiptoed to your elf stocking so quietly that even the sock drawer did not hear me. Then the floor creaked so loudly that I had to freeze for a moment. Luckily, I still managed to hide your surprise in the right place.
Your cheerful Christmas elf

3. A treasure hunt elf letter
To make the morning more exciting, the elf can leave a letter with a clue and hide the surprise somewhere else.

Example:
Hi there!
Today the whole surprise did not fit in your elf stocking. Look for the place where the cups stand in a row and where the smell of cocoa sometimes appears in the morning. Something is waiting for you there.
The elf who loves playing hide-and-seek

Lastella’s elf letter generator creates PDFs in A4 size. This means that if you print the letter with your usual printer settings, one letter will be printed on one A4 sheet.

If you want a smaller letter, change your printer settings before printing. In the print window, look for a setting called “Pages per sheet”, “Multiple” or something similar.

If you created one elf letter

If you created one letter with the generator, the PDF is A4 size by default. To print a smaller version, choose 2 pages per sheet in your printer settings. This will make the letter about A5 size.

Also select landscape orientation. In some print windows, you may need to click this setting again after choosing “2 pages per sheet” so that the preview updates correctly.

When you print one letter in A5 size, half of the A4 sheet will stay empty. You can use this empty half later for the next elf letter.

To do this, place the same sheet back into the printer next time and choose 2 pages per sheet again. This way, the next letter can be printed on the empty side of the page. Before printing, always check the preview and make sure you know which way the paper needs to go into your printer.

We recommend testing this first with regular paper, because printers can work a little differently.

If you created several elf letters

If you created several letters with the generator, you can print them smaller on the same sheet.

For example, you can choose:

• 2 pages per sheet. Each letter will be about A5 size.
• 4 pages per sheet, or a 2 × 2 layout. Each letter will be about A6 size. This size works well for a Christmas stocking, a small envelope or next to a gift.

Before printing, always check the preview. This lets you see whether the letters are placed correctly on the page and whether the selected size looks right.

You can make the printed letter feel even more special with a few simple details. Fold the letter once, or roll it up and tie it with a thin ribbon or string. Printing the letter on coloured paper instead of white paper also gives a lovely result.

You can also use paper with a soft pattern or a gentle design. To make the letter more playful, an adult can lightly age the edges of the paper, add tiny elf footprints or decorate the letter with a small sticker.