Easy Elf Ideas Planner 2026 – 24 Nights, Google Sheets & Excel + Printables (Letter & A4)

It's 11 pm, the kids are asleep, and the elf still hasn't moved. This planner fixes that: plan all 24 nights in one evening, buy the supplies once, and have a two-minute idea ready for the busy nights.

It's a ready-to-use spreadsheet for Google Sheets and Excel, plus 10 printable pages if you'd rather plan on paper.

What it does

• Idea Bank: 48 easy, original ideas, each tagged by setup time (2, 5 or 10 minutes), mess and noise, with the supplies it needs. Add your own ideas and they show up in the dropdown.
• Night-by-night plan: set the arrival date and number of nights (up to 31). Pick an idea for each night and the setup time, supplies and "what to set up" fill in.
• Busy-night flags: mark the nights you'll be short on time. The planner warns if one of them has a 10-minute setup, if an idea repeats or if a night is still empty.
• Supply list: builds itself from your plan, with how many nights need each item and the first date you need it. Mark what you have and the rest shows BUY with an estimated cost.
• Dashboard: days until arrival, nights planned and still open, tonight's and tomorrow's idea, and what to buy.
• Rescue notes: 12 notes for the morning the elf forgot to move.

What you get

• Blank planner (.xlsx)
• Example planner with a sample 24-night plan, so you can see how everything works
• 10 printable pages in US Letter and A4: season at a glance, night-by-night plan, 2-minute ideas, 5 and 10-minute ideas, supply list, arrival letter, goodbye letter, forgot-to-move rescue notes, blank notes from your elf, elf memories
• Quick-start README

Good to know

• Works with any elf doll or toy you already have, including the Elf on the Shelf®. This planner is independent and isn't affiliated with or endorsed by that brand. No doll is included.
• No macros and no add-ons. Works in Google Sheets (File → Import), Excel for Windows, Mac and the web, and opens in LibreOffice/Numbers.
• The ideas use everyday household items. Keep small items and food away from babies and toddlers.
• Instant digital download. Nothing is shipped.

License: personal use only. Please don't resell, share or redistribute the files.

Refunds: because this is a digital download, sales are final. If a file won't open or something is broken, contact me through the link in your receipt and I'll fix it or refund you.