Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Snapfish. The opinions are mine. Thanks for supporting the brands that support this blog.

Ben’s still too young to know who the elf on the shelf is but I’m pretty sure that a lot of the families receiving Ben’s first Christmas card will appreciate Ben’s elf on the shelf Christmas Card.

I figured this was the one and the only year we could pull this idea off, so of course, we had to try! And I’m so glad we did because this little guy is the cutest elf on the shelf I’ve ever seen! 

Believe it or not, creating this look was SO easy and taking this picture wasn’t much harder, which was a pleasant surprise because snapping photos of Ben is getting harder and harder by the day. #movingtarget

How To Re-Create An Elf On The Shelf Christmas Card

The Elf Costume

We bought these red pajamas, but really any red onesie with footies will work, and this hat.  Then the only other thing I picked up was a large piece of white felt from Michaels. I cut the spikes in the felt and simply pinned the white felt around the collar of the red pajamas.

I chose to pin the felt because I wanted Ben to be able to wear and re-wear the red jammies so pinning the white felt with safety pins was a simple and not-so-permanent solution. The entire project took about 15 minutes.

Then, all we did was stuff a little tissue paper inside the elf hat so it stood tall and we were all set! Usually Ben isn’t a fan of hats, but the real elf on the shelf must have sprinkled some of his holiday magic because Ben didn’t mind at all. The string of lights as a distraction probably didn’t hurt either.

Getting “The Shot”

Please know that Ben was never in danger during this photo shoot, contrary to what the photo may suggest! To get the Elf on the Shelf Christmas Card photo, Matt crouched behind Ben (and behind our pony wall) holding Ben the entire time. He did a pretty great job of hiding his hands on Ben’s waist, but if you look hard enough, you can see Matt’s hands photobombing in some of the photos.

Then I simply stood in front of Ben with my camera and snapped away! In less than ten minutes, we were done. And Ben loved every second of it because he could play with the big string of lights the whole time. It was a win-win for everyone.

Elf On The Shelf Christmas Card

I uploaded Ben’s photo to Snapfish and ordered our holidays cards, which again took less than ten minutes! Uploading the photos and navigating the site was super simple, an extra plus during this crazy time of year.

I chose this gold foil card because I loved the gold foil detail on that card, but it was hard to choose because there were so many gorgeous gold foil options.

The best “surprise” of all happened when I went to check out. I found out that Snapfish offers the option for you to print your return address on the back of each envelope for FREE. Of course, I was all over that.

If you’re still on the hunt for holiday cards (or even gorgeous New Year’s cards!), be sure to use code: FOIL40 for 40% off your purchase. If you’re opting for another card, be sure to check their homepage for coupon codes. I waited for one and ended up getting my order 70% off!!

Gift Ideas For New Moms

And while we’re on the topic of the holiday cards, I had to share this super simple gift idea with you guys. So many of our readers have reached out and asked for unique gift ideas for new moms or new babies. I’m in the same boat when it came to gift a little something to my sister, who just welcomed her second baby a few weeks ago.

Although we shared a lot of great ideas for new moms/new babies in our annual gift guide, I also thought that gifting my sister some personalized photo cards of her new little one would be such a unique and simple idea that she can actually use over the next few months.

I added 40 of these gold foil thank you cards to my elf on the shelf card order and can’t wait to gift them to her in a few weeks (or maybe before because I’m too excited to wait). She already has so many gifts, meals, and thoughtful gestures pouring in from family and friends, I think she will absolutely love these personalized thank you cards to send out “from baby Charlie”.

I added her return address on the envelopes as well because new moms can take any time saver they can get, right?! If you have a new mom in your life, I think this could be such a thoughtful and FUNCTIONAL gift idea. But let’s be honest, these adorable photo gifts would be pretty great too. What mom doesn’t love seeing pictures of her new baby?

Quick and Easy Holiday Cards, There’s Still Time!

Long story short, I’m here to prove that you don’t need to spend a ton of time throwing together a holiday card. Just capturing this moment in time (imperfections and all) is what it’s all about… and what you’ll be so happy to look back on years and years from now. So don’t let the stress of capturing the perfect shot keep you from sending out this adorable snail mail. And for anyone else who tackles a DIY Elf On The Shelf Photo (this year or in the future), please keep me updated! I don’t think pictures of a real-life elf on the shelf will ever get old!!

Bridget