Free Elf on the Shelf Arrival Letter with your kids' names and your elf's name
This Elf on the Shelf arrival letter writes itself: type your children's names and your elf's name (or leave it blank so the kids can name the elf), choose a first-year, welcome back or late arrival letter, and print it on US Letter or A4. The same tool makes a Christmas Eve goodbye letter and sheets of small daily elf notes, all free and with no sign-up.
Arrival, goodbye and daily notes in one place · PDF, PNG or print · names stay on your device
How to set up the arrivalWrite your Elf on the Shelf arrival letter
The elf arrival letter opens first. Switch to the goodbye letter or the daily notes with one tap; names and settings carry over.
Leave it empty if your kids will name the elf: the letter then asks them to choose a name.
Young kid wording: Nice List, elves and reindeer (ages 5–7).
Written from your answers. Type here to change anything.
Many children? Paste a list of names
One child per line. Add an age after a comma, e.g. Emma, 6. Every child copies the deeds and settings of the child selected above; you can then fine-tune each one.
Letterhead and print settings
Preview
Pages for the selected child · 1 pages in the PDF
Elf arrival letter
Printing tips
- Print at Actual size / 100% so the striped border isn't cut off.
- Leave the arrival letter next to the elf on the first morning, with a candy cane or a mug of hot cocoa.
- Cut the daily notes along the dashed lines, hide the stack, and slip one next to the elf each night.
- Nothing is uploaded: names stay in this browser tab.
Elf arrival letter: quick facts
Short answers for parents comparing free elf letter printables.
- Price
- Free, with no paid tier or download fee
- Account
- Not required
- Watermark
- None
- Export formats
- PDF (every page in one file), PNG (one image per page) and direct print
- Paper sizes
- US Letter and A4
- Supported sizes
- US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) and A4 (210 × 297 mm), portrait; daily notes print 4, 6 or 8 per page with dashed cut lines
- Privacy
- Runs in your browser; nothing you type is uploaded
- Languages
- 8 languages: English, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Japanese, Korean
- Letter types
- Elf arrival letter (first year, welcome back, late arrival), Christmas Eve goodbye letter, daily elf notes; the letter from Santa is one tap away
- Names
- Up to 30 children and your elf's name; leave the elf's name blank and the letter asks the kids to choose one
- Several kids
- One letter to all the kids together (default) or one letter per child, in one PDF
- Daily notes
- 18 ready notes (kindness missions, a 'someone touched me' note, a sick-elf note, a 'sorry I didn't move' note, jokes) plus your own; about 3.6 × 2.3 in each at 8 per Letter page
- Not affiliated
- PrintMigo is not affiliated with The Lumistella Company; The Elf on the Shelf® is a trademark of CCA and B, LLC. All letter wording is original.
- Last updated
- October 15, 2026
Best for
- Parents starting the Elf on the Shelf tradition who need a first-year arrival letter tonight
- Families whose elf is coming back for year two, three or more
- Siblings sharing one elf, and teachers with a classroom elf
Not the best fit for
- The elf doll or the official book (this is a free letter tool, not the product)
- Hand-drawn illustrated letters with your own photos
- Letters mailed to your home with a real postmark
How it compares
- Blog printables
- Often cute designs, but most are fixed PDFs where you handwrite the names, and many ask for your email first.
- Canva templates
- Fully editable designs, but you need a Canva account and write the wording yourself; daily notes are a separate project.
- Etsy kits
- Big themed bundles for a few dollars, usually edited in Corjl or Canva; here the arrival letter, goodbye letter and notes are free and share the same names.
Why this elf arrival letter feels magical
Kids notice their own names, the elf's name and a North Pole postmark.
An arrival letter for a new, returning or late elf
Pick First year and the elf introduces itself, explains that it flies to the North Pole every night to report to Santa, and asks the kids not to touch it. Leave the elf's name empty and the letter asks your children to choose one. Welcome back greets a returning elf by name, and Late arrival blames a North Pole snowstorm when the elf shows up after December 1. The letter also mentions the gift your child is hoping for and, if you switch on the gentle nudge, one thing Santa asked the elf to help with, such as listening the first time.
Daily elf notes, 4 to 8 per page
Tick the notes you want: a kindness mission, cookie baking, a candy cane hunt, an elf joke, or the emergency notes every elf parent needs (someone touched me, I'm feeling sick, sorry I didn't move). Add your own lines, choose 4, 6 or 8 notes per page and cut along the dashed lines. Empty spaces print as blank notes to write by hand. The notes greet the kids by name and are signed by your elf, so a busy parent only has to cut and place one each night.
A Christmas Eve goodbye letter for every child
On December 24 the elf says goodbye: it thanks the kids for keeping its magic safe, mentions the good deeds you tick, promises to come back next year and can add a Nice List certificate signed by Santa and your elf. Write one letter to all the kids, or one per child so each sibling hears about their own year.
What the free elf arrival letter maker includes
Everything runs in your browser: nothing to install, no account and no email.
PDF, PNG or print
All letters and note sheets in one PDF, a PNG per page, or print straight from the browser. No watermark.
Edit every word
The letter is written from your answers, then you can change any sentence, the P.S., the signature and the date.
Siblings and classrooms
One letter for all the kids sharing an elf, or one per child. Paste up to 30 names for a classroom elf.
Toddler-friendly wording
Ages 1–4 get short, simple sentences you can read aloud in under a minute.
8 languages
Localized letters for the lutin farceur in French and the Wichtel in German; every page can switch the letter to English.
Private by design
Your children's names and your elf's name stay on your device. Nothing is uploaded.
How to set up your Elf on the Shelf arrival letter
From this page to a magical first morning in about fifteen minutes.
Choose the arrival type and names
Type each child's name and age. For a brand-new elf, choose First year and either type the elf's name or leave it blank so the letter asks the kids to name it. For year two and beyond pick Welcome back; if the elf turns up after December 1, pick Late arrival.
- Several kids? Keep One letter to all the kids so the elf feels like the family's elf.
- Add the gift on your child's list: the elf promises to tell Santa.
Pick a letterhead and check the wording
Elf Stripes is selected for you, with a red and green border, an elf hat and a North Pole postmark. Read the letter in the box and change anything: house rules, a family joke, the name of your town. The P.S. menu has ready ideas.
- Choose Easy to read if your child will read the letter alone.
- Ink Saver prints in black and white for coloring in.
Print at 100%
Download the PDF or click Print and choose Actual size or 100%. Plain 20–24 lb (80–90 g/m²) paper works; cardstock makes the daily notes sturdier. Fold the letter in thirds for an envelope.
- Print the goodbye letter and a sheet of daily notes now, so December nights stay easy.
- Seal the arrival letter with a sticker and write the child's name on the envelope.
Stage the arrival morning
Many families welcome the elf the day after Thanksgiving or on December 1. Place the elf somewhere visible with the letter, plus a small treat such as hot cocoa or a candy cane. Then move the elf every night and leave a daily note now and then. If the kids ask how the elf got in, the letter has the answer: Santa sent it with a pinch of North Pole magic.
- Keep the cut-out notes in a hidden envelope so you never run out of ideas at 11 pm.
- On Christmas Eve, swap the elf for the goodbye letter.
Elf on the Shelf arrival letter FAQ
What to write, when the elf arrives and leaves, and how to print.
Yes. There is no email form, no account, no paid version and no watermark on the PDF, PNG or print. The letter is made in your browser, so your children's names and your elf's name are never uploaded.
A good elf arrival letter does four things: greets the kids by name, says the elf was sent by Santa, explains the rules (the elf flies to the North Pole every night to report to Santa, and the children must not touch it), and asks for a name if the elf is new. This tool writes all of that for you, in toddler wording for ages 1–4 and longer wording from age 5.
There is no fixed date. Most families welcome the elf between the night after Thanksgiving and December 1, and the elf goes back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve, December 24. The arrival letter is dated December 1 and the goodbye letter December 24; you can change either date.
Yes. Choose Welcome back under Arrival: the elf greets the kids by its name, says it spent the year at the North Pole and reminds everyone of the rules. Choose Late arrival if the elf shows up after the kids expected it.
Thank the kids for keeping the elf's magic safe, mention one or two good things they did, say the elf is flying home with Santa tonight and promise to return next year. Switch to Elf goodbye letter, tick your child's good deeds and, if you like, add a Nice List certificate signed by Santa and your elf.
Stay calm and let the elf explain. The daily notes include a ready note saying a sprinkle of cinnamon brought the elf's magic back, a note for a sick elf who needs rest, and a note for the morning the elf forgot to move.
The classic rules are simple: Santa sends the elf, the family gives it a name, the elf flies to the North Pole every night to tell Santa how the day went and comes back to a new hiding spot before morning, and children must not touch it or it may lose its magic. Kids can still talk to the elf and tell it their wishes. The first-year letter explains these rules in words a child understands.
Popular elf names are short and cheerful: Pip, Jingle, Buddy, Sparkle, Snowflake, Twinkle, Cocoa, Peppermint or Chippy. Many families let the kids choose: leave the elf's name empty, print the first-year letter, and it asks your children to pick a name. Type the chosen name for every letter and note after that.
Most families start between ages 2 and 4, when children enjoy hide-and-seek games and short stories, and keep it going until about 8 to 10. For ages 1 to 4 the letters use short, simple sentences; from age 5 they explain the rules in more detail and mention the gift on your child's list.
Choose 4, 6 or 8 notes per page. At 8 per page each note is about 3.6 × 2.3 in on US Letter; at 4 per page they are almost postcard size. Pick from 18 ready notes or type your own, one per line, and leftover spaces print as blank notes.
Yes. Add each child with + Add child and keep One letter to all the kids: the letter greets them together, for example Dear Emma and Leo. Switch to One letter per child if each child should get their own envelope.
No. PrintMigo is an independent free printables site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by The Lumistella Company; The Elf on the Shelf® is a trademark of CCA and B, LLC. Our elf letters use original wording and work with any Christmas elf, including a classroom elf.
Print your Elf on the Shelf arrival letter tonight
Type your kids' names and your elf's name, choose first year, welcome back or late arrival, and print the letter with a goodbye letter and daily notes.
Free, no email, no watermark, and the names stay on your device.
Tip: print the goodbye letter now and hide it with the daily notes.