commonly asked questions about Jingle Bell Joy
✧ Why should our family start the Jingle Bell Joy tradition?
Jingle Bell Joy is great for families that are short on time but still want to have those magical elf moments leading up to Christmas. It’s an easy and a fairly maintenance-free holiday tradition that anyone can enjoy. Plus, it’s a thoughtful gesture for Santa. He loves finding all those Believe Bells on Christmas Eve, almost as much as a plate of cookies!
✧ What if we already have an elf?
Not to worry! Elves are really supportive of each other, especially when it comes to different holiday duties. In fact, your family can choose to have several different types of elves at once or you can decide to change it up each year. We know families that like to include the Jingle Bell Joy tradition along with traditions they already have. Sometimes it allows other elves to take a break, if you know what we mean. It’s up to your family to decide. Do what is best for you! Santa won’t mind either way.
✧ How do the elves return each year?
Once you’ve set out your decorative bag or jar, the elves usually just know to return! Sometimes our elves leave a note (like the one shown here ) or sometimes we simply find the first bell signaling they’re back! We think it just depends on their schedule. It’s busy season after all!
✧ Can we do less days? A whole month seems like a lot for us right now.
YES! Absolutely! You can start the tradition anytime before Christmas Eve night. Whether it’s finding all of your bells in one day, or spreading the hunt out over a couple of days, your Elves can decide what’s best for your family. Some families get to do their search on Christmas Eve morning for example, it adds to the excitement and can be a good distraction for all that anticipation! Another popular one is the 12 Days of Christmas, or “12 Days of Believing” as we call it. A lot of Elves like to do this for families with two siblings and one Jingle Bell Joy set. Each child can find one bell a day for 12 days, for a total of 24 bells in the end.
✧ How do elves keep the bells silent while hiding them at night?
We’re not completely sure, but we think they have special magic to silence the bells while hiding them. We’ve never seen them in action though. Grown-ups, however, can do their best to silence the bells by holding it with one hand and squeezing it. This comes in handy if you ever have to move the bell or accidentally bump one out of place!
✧ Oops, our elves forgot to leave a bell last night. Now what?
First of all, let’s make sure it wasn’t hidden really…really…well. When this has happened to us in the past, I asked my kids to go look in other rooms of the house or places the elves may have explored. And wouldn’t you know it, while they’re looking somewhere else I ended up finding the bells. It’s crazy how that happens! I gave them clues to find the bells since it was so clear to me. We all know how grown-ups are really good at finding things.
But if you truly think your elves forgot to leave a bell, there’s usually a good reason (like snow storms) and we’re sure they’ll leave an extra one next time.
✧ What if the elves leave their storage bag of bells behind…..and the kids find it!?
Well, elves aren’t perfect and it’s busy season so mistakes happen! Your best bet is to leave it exactly where you found it so that the elves don’t think it’s lost. If your kids want to, they can leave a note for their elves letting them know they didn’t mean to find the bag. Extra treats like mini Oreos® or mini Snickerdoodles (aka Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal) are always appreciated by the elves. They’ll be sure to have enough energy to take the bag back with them this time!
Have more questions for us? Send us an email and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]