If your Scout Elf is into silly shenanigans, caption a photo of their hopefully harmless prank with a short and sweet Elf on the Shelf Instagram caption.

This is an appropriate caption to use for the first photo you post of Elf on the Shelf for the season, not just the first day of their return because technically, they come back every. single. morning.

If you have some extra lights lying around, you can wrap them around your elf in a loving wink and nod to Clark Griswold’s determination to cover his house in twinkle lights.

Everyone (including Cousin Eddie) knows that it’s the gift that keeps on giving the whole year through, but it might not have been Clark’s idea of a great bonus in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. To make it sweeter (ha), place your elf alongside a jar or two of jelly. Everyone will be so jelly that they didn’t think of the idea first.

To bring this classic line from A Christmas Story to life, you can go about it a couple of ways. First, if you have an actual rabbit, you can place your elf next to it. Or if you have some Easter décor mixed up with your holiday gear, simply stick your elf in an Easter basket, or even add on some ears. Caption your staged Elf on the Shelf photo with this quote and watch the likes tally up.

Sandwich your elf between two pieces of toast for a delish (and fast) idea. You’ll definitely be serving up smiles for breakfast.

To this day, no one is really sure what happened to the leg lamp in A Christmas Story (but we kind of have a feeling that it didn’t fall of its own accord). This 30-second Elf on the Shelf scene is simple: simple hook your elf’s arms around a good ol’ container of glue and caption it with this quote.

Grab a bar of Lifebuoy soap (or any other one that’s red) and place your elf on top, as if they, too, died from soap poisoning, just like Ralphie from A Christmas Story thought that he was going to do.

Don’t have time to move your elf? Just toss it on a table, plop it on a couch, and caption this A Christmas Story quote with it. Done and done.

For a fast and easy Elf on the Shelf idea, place your elf in your Christmas tree. This Instagram caption idea will make the image even cuter.

Your Elf on the Shelf is BFFs with Barbie. So place them seated on a chair in her dream house and caption it with this funny quote from the movie, Elf.

Sure, your Elf on the Shelf comes with their standard red uniform, but sometimes you just want to switch up your style. You can always buy your elf some new duds, or you can position them inside your child’s Barbie Dream House as they go through the closet looking for something special to wear.

Your elf has to travel to and from the North Pole each and every night to report your child’s daily antics to Mr. C. And while that might be great for racking up the frequent flyer miles, it’s not so awesome for your poor little elf who’s probably jet-lagged. So snap a shot of your elf either sleeping in your child’s bed or tucked fast asleep inside a tissue box.

As you’re sipping your cup of coffee thinking about an Elf on the Shelf Instagram caption, why not put your elf next to your mug and snap a pic? Elf fans will instantly recognize the line from the film. As to whether your coffee is crappy or the best is entirely up to you to decide.

It’s not the holiday season if you don’t have copious amounts of candy canes scattered throughout your house. Grab two and tape them together, then seat your elf on top with their hands holding the candy cane. Then, tape the entire contraption to your staircase banister to make it look like your elf is actually sledding.

Sure, your elf is there to ensure that your child is behaving, but sometimes, an elf just wants to have fun, too. Put your elf inside a paper bag and roll down the top so that they’re visible. Then place other dolls or action figures in their own paper bags and place them either alongside or behind your elf so that it looks like they’re racing.

Your Elf on the Shelf loves chocolate. Don’t be surprised, then, to find them secretly sneaking a Hershey’s Kiss (or four) when no one is looking. Unwrap a few green and red Hershey Kisses and then rub some of the chocolate on your doll’s face. Their expression of “Who, me?” makes this gag even more adorable.

Nothing beats a cup of cocoa come Christmas. Place your elf next to a mug of hot chocolate for a fun (and delish) surprise, and caption your Elf on the Shelf photo with this classic commercial quote.

Your elf can become a burgeoning barista when she visits your home. Position them next to your coffee maker and have them slurp up some goodness. Add in some whipped cream and crushed candy canes for authenticity — and a definite yum factor.

Elves can get bored during the day when kids are at school or daycare. So take out your kid’s gaming system and let them become the superstar of Super Mario Party.

Everything poops… even your precious elf. To recreate this bathroom scene, sit your elf with their tush inside a cup, and put a Hershey’s Kiss at the bottom to resemble (you guessed it) poop.

The Elf on the Shelf has been known to be a social butterfly. So let them socialize with some of your child’s other toys. How you choose to position them is entirely up to you — just be sure to keep it PG, people.

Your elf is a thrill seeker, don’t you know? Tape some extra holiday lights from one side of the room to the other, and attach your elf’s hands to a mini candy cane to look like they’re ziplining across your kitchen. Your kids will “die hard”... from laughter.

In this popular kid’s game, you have to jump off the floor (and onto a bed, chair, counter, etc), whenever someone says those four dreaded words. And your elf wants to get in on this heated game, too. Have them pretend like they’re climbing up a wall or jumping off the ground to avoid getting their tootsies toasted.

For a slightly darker humor, have your elf sitting next to a box filled with water, a couple of buttons, a tiny carrot, and a piece of fabric resembling a scarf. But be sure to gauge the humor level of your kids, because you don’t want a crying kid because Frosty is a puddle.

When you literally have 15 seconds before your kids come crashing into the bathroom, try this: Stack 3 rolls of toilet paper on top of each other, and stick your elf inside. Position their arms facing upwards, and then place an extra roll of TP on top, so they’re peeking out. Write “Hide and Seek” on the top roll for a fun and fast game.

For more bathroom humor, stand your elf up (you might need to tape their feet to the ground). Write the words “Lemonade Stand” on a piece of paper and put it next to three glasses. Fill them with lemonade and have your elf facing one of them as if they were peeing into the cup. Then, tell your kids that they’ve been drinking elf pee all week.

Take a bunch of bananas and draw little Minion faces on them (think round eyes, a mouth, and pants). Then, sit your Elf on the Shelf next to the bunch with a Sharpie. Your kids might not get the Tony Montana reference, but you can revel in your Scarface creativity.

Elves are super silly. So take a pink balloon, inflate it, and attach it to your elf’s mouth. Then spread some crumpled empty bubble gum wrappers around your elf along with a stick of gum and write the note above. Let’s see if your kid accepts the challenge.

Sure, you shouldn’t play with your food...unless it involves your elf, of course. If you’ve made some Jell-O, spoon some of it into a bowl and place your smiley elf next to it in a wink and nod to National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

Use your phone and pretend that your elf is making a call. But they’re not talking to just anyone — they’re talking to Mr. C himself, so your kids better make sure that they’re on the right side of the nice list.

Put a Post-it note next to your elf with a checkbox for Naughty, one for Nice, and one for Burned Down Cheryl’s She-Shed. Guess which one your elf checks off.

Scare the crap out of your kid by putting his Elf right next to his pillow. When he wakes up, that sweet smiling cherubic face might look a whole more like Annabelle than a darling elf doll.

Your elf likes to stay on top of viral TikTok dance trends. So when they heard about flossing, they thought that they were supposed to use dental floss instead. Wrap your elf in dental floss and place them in the bathroom next to your child’s toothbrush. Hey, maybe it will encourage better brushing.

On the last night of your Elf’s stay, stick them in some water and freeze him. Then, take your kid’s Elsa doll and make it look like the ice princess accidentally turned your Elf into a frozen popsicle.

Your elf is a polar explorer by night, and a mad scientist by day. So score some STEM points by conducting this experiment. Put a round circle of Skittles on a plate and write out instructions for your child to pour warm water in the center. The swirling rainbow of colors will be totally cool way to start the day.

Your elf loves making snow angels. But they must have been confused, because the ones that they’re making are from the powdered sugar found in your pantry. Oh well, rookie mistake.