Parents share genius Elf On The Shelf ideas ahead of 1 December

If you're a parent, one of the most wonderful (and admittedly challenging) times of the year has just arrived.

That is, of course, the month of December, which means you've got 25 nights of planning to do if your kids partake in Elf on the Shelf.

Elf on the Shelf is a recent tradition that sees parents 'adopt' a small Scout Elf who appears in a different location each morning.

The idea is that the elf flies back to the North Pole and lets Santa know if your children have been 'naughty or nice', so it's a great way to motivate good behaviour in December.

The concept has gone viral in recent years after parents shared their weird and wonderful set ups for the character.

The fun part of the 'toy' is that children are forbidden from touching it, or else the elf will disappear forever (and presumably endanger their odds of getting a present on the big day itself).

Now, to help each other out, parents have been sharing their best Elf of the Shelf set ups on Facebook, and we have to admit, we are seriously impressed.

But perhaps best of all, these are (mostly) all scenes that can be easily created for free or on a tiny budget.

Have you got some colourful condiments hanging around? Well, if you do, this scene could be perfect for you, and sees the naughty elves draw some festive drawings on the hob.

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But if you've got a printer at home, you could have some serious fun if you don't mind using some paper and have your elf (or elves) taking some hilarious selfies.

Here's an idea about what your kids could be waking up to.

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If your kids have been well behaved, a good idea might be to give them a fun treat with their Elf on the Shelf, and you could do this easily with one bag of marshmallows.

As is gloriously demonstrated here, they could wake up to their elves having a seriously sugary morning soak.

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Sometimes, when it comes to elf on the shelf, the best ideas come from a little effort, and this a great example if you're willing to put in the work.

Can you imagine how excited your kids will be to tell their friends about this one?

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But while it's important to have a little creativity when it comes to positioning your elf each morning, one parent made a good point. How do you introduce the elf in the first place?

While we're sure some elves just turn up, if you've got some balloons to spare and a gift bag, you could make it look like your elf came straight from the North Pole.

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Reacting to this cheeky elf arriving on a balloon, another parent suggested: "We make ours a bed and he appears in it asleep the next morning - tired from his [travels]."

What are your best Elf on the Shelf ideas? Let us know in the comments.