Elf on the Shelf is a fun-filled Christmas Tradition for children everywhere. Children welcome one of Santa’s Elves in their home during each each holiday season. The Elf on the Shelf arrived and surprised the kiddos with an Elf on the Shelf Cupcake & Hot Cocoa Welcome Party. 

Thanksgiving has come and gone and while I'm a little sad my extended family has returned home, I am so happy to bring back our Elf. Do you have Elf on the Shelf? The Elf arrived early in the morning December 1st, and surprised the kiddos with an Elf on the Shelf Cupcake & Hot Cocoa Welcome Party. 

Our Elf arrived with a bang, riding in on his own sleigh. He brought along some  Pillsbury™ Funfetti® Cupcakes and Peppermint Hot Cocoa, for our traditional Elf on the Shelf Welcome Party, to mark his arrival for the month of December. 

This marks his debut and it is a tradition we have carried out for a decade now. I love to bring out the magic of Christmas every holiday for my children. I adore nothing more than filling their hearts with joy and excitement. Believing in the magic of Christmas fades so fast, so every year, I try my best to make it as special for them as I possibly can. The spirit of Christmas is about my family being together. 

I will let you in on a tiny secret of mine that my youngest children are not keen to yet . . . I've been moving the Elf all these years and filling them with the magic of Christmas. I even made these lovely Pillsbury™ Funfetti® Cupcakes and and the delicious Peppermint Hot Cocoa. I would have loved to have been able to make the cupcakes with a KitchenAid® Mixer, but I don't own one. I will just have to enter the #BakeintheFun Sweepstakes for a chance to win my very own!

Elf on the Shelf Cupcake & Cocoa Welcome Party

This year, I have marvelous plans to complete loads of holiday fun with my children. This Welcome Party with the Elf was the perfect beginning to a month of holiday cheer. Wish me good luck that I remember to move the Elf everyday!

I put together this adorable, fun and easy cupcake and cocoa party to welcome our elf. However you decide to complete this, I promise this is an idea that everyone can do!

First I needed to gather my supplies, so I headed to Walmart. I was able to locate the Pillsbury™ Funfetti® Holiday Cake Mix in the Baking Center. The gallon of Great Value Milk was in the refrigerated section and right next to this area in my local Walmart were all the holiday M&M's®.  I selected the holiday M&M's® White Peppermint, the holiday M&M's® Hot Chocolate, the M&M's® Holiday Milk Chocolate AND the M&M's® Holiday Peanut Butter (two bags of these as I needed one bag just for myself!☺). I was even able to locate Elf on the Shelf cupcake liners!

Elf on the Shelf

Cupcake & Hot Cocoa Welcome Party

Here is how the Elf on the Shelf put together our Cupcake and Hot Cocoa Welcome Party. If your home has a buffet area, you could use this to set up. I decided to use my existing dining room as it was all cleaned and prepped from Thanksgiving.

I used the assortment of holiday M&M's®, cookies, frosting, chocolate shavings, sprinkles, candy canes, red & white paper straws, holiday plates and cups and more for the Elf on the Shelf Cupcakes. I used even more toppings for the homemade hot cocoa . . . whipped cream, marshmallows, caramel and mini chocolate chips! You can get as creative as you want for your very own Elf on the Shelf Cupcakes and Peppermint Hot Cocoa Welcome Party.

Your children will LOVE seeing the welcome your Elf has set up and they will be delighted to have cupcakes and hot cocoa for breakfast!

Some day soon, these little surprises, the welcome parties, the cupcakes, the elf experience, and even Santa will be a distant memory. I will remember by the images and videos I take and I hope my children remember too. My hope is my children will recall these memories and cherish them in their hearts. I hope I am succeeding in creating the Christmas magic in my home.

Be sure to grab Elf’s favorite Elf on the Shelf Cupcakes recipe and the Peppermint Hot Cocoa recipe before you go!

Peppermint Hot Cocoa

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp water

• 1 cup mint chocolate chips

• 4 cups milk

Instructions

In a small glass dish, add the water and the mint chocolate chips and pop in the microwave until the chocolate is melted.

Heat the milk on the stove top in a pot on a low flame. Add the melted chocolate, stirring with a whisk.

Pour into individual cups. Serve with whipped cream and marshmallows or whatever toppings you have on hand..

Elf on the Shelf Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 box Pillsbury Funfetti Holiday Cake Mix

• 1 cup water

• ½ cup oil

• 3 eggs

Instructions

Combine cake mix, water, oil and eggs in a large bowl and mix. Scoop batter into a cupcake pan that has been lined with paper cupcake liners.

*The box states to fill the liners half full--however, I like very big cupcakes. I fill the batter almost entirely to the top of the cupcake liner. This will make 12 large cupcakes.

Bake for exactly 20 minutes and remove pan from the oven and cool cupcakes.

Frost and decorate with frosting, chocolate shavings, cookies, holiday M&M's® White Peppermint, holiday M&M's® Hot Chocolate, M&M's® Holiday Milk Chocolate AND M&M's® Holiday Peanut Butter and more sprinkles.