Yes, Elf on the Shelf scouts eat, primarily sweets like candy, cookies, and syrup, but also healthier options like whole grains, fruits, and veggies, though they struggle to resist sugar, often needing monitoring by Mrs. Claus to avoid tummy aches and stay energetic for their North Pole duties. Parents create fun scenes showing elves indulging in treats or making their own "elf food" out of breakfast cereal and other snacks.
When Buddy the Elf explains what life growing up with the elves has been like, he highlights their main four food groups, which aren't food groups at all, at least not in the traditional pyramid we all know. There is no produce or dairy in sight — just candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup.
The Elf on the Shelf® is arriving to Happy Meal® nationwide from Wednesday, 19th November.
“We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup.”
As described by Tolkien, Elves hunt game and eat meat in both The Silmarillion and The Hobbit . It doesn't come up in LotR, but there's no reason to believe they changed their ways. Actually, there were some Elves Tolkien specifically described as vegetarians, the Green Elves of Ossiriand in The Silmarillion.
On the Menu
Elves don't commonly consume dairy as they do not keep the requisite beasts of burden to harvest it from. Glossia instead is processed from the viscous liquid of the glossus plant. This sap thickens quickly with heat and then holds that consistency even after cooling.
“We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.” - Elf.
Instead of harmful craft glitter, use wildlife-safe alternatives like colored sugar crystals, edible glitter, shredded coconut, colorful sprinkles, or natural options like dried cranberries, chopped dried fruit, or even birdseed, mixed with rolled oats for a magical, animal-friendly sparkle that guides Santa's reindeer.
The three rules of the elves from the movie Elf, as lived by Buddy the Elf, are: 1. Treat every day like Christmas, 2. There's room for everyone on the nice list, and 3. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear, promoting kindness and festive spirit.
Here are the tell-tale signs that your Christmas guest is a genuine Scout Elf sent from the North Pole.
The rarest Elf on the Shelf color is widely considered to be yellow, often referred to as the "Banana Elf," with some fans noting the existence of black elves for mischief, but yellow is generally seen as the most elusive special edition. While official Scout Elves are red, these other colors appear as special or "misbehaving" versions, making the yellow one exceptionally hard to find.
Upon receiving a name, the elf is endowed with Christmas magic. Each night, after the children have gone to bed, the elf flies to the North Pole and reports to Santa on the day's events, helping Santa to determine if the children are naughty or nice.
Lo and behold, Buddy concocts a dish made of spaghetti, maple syrup, chocolate syrup, M&Ms, marshmallows and a chocolate fudge Pop Tart. He mixes it with his hands before devouring it happily.
So according to elves, there's four main food groups, candy, candy cane, candy corn, and syrup. And sure that works until you've been out there playing reindeer games all day long. Because sprinting around the North Pole, dodging antlers, pulling sleds, and trying to impress Santa, that takes protein.
🎄An elf's four main food groups are candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup. According to Buddy this is a PERFECTLY balanced beverage. Yes it's basically all sugar, but nutrition doesn't matter in between Thanksgiving and New Years.
Although most people put out cookies and milk for Santa, some health-conscious families prefer to leave celery or a more low-calorie treat. Lucky reindeer will also get a carrot or two.
Reindeer food
It's a wonderful and exciting thing to do with children, and you can buy reindeer food from lots of shops and websites but many of these contain ingredients that aren't environmentally friendly and can actually be dangerous for animals (particularly edible glitter!)
Carrots are likely the most common vegetable that reindeer encounter on Christmas Eve but it is also common for them to see a lot of cucumbers and celery. Do not feed them broccoli, cauliflower, red onions, beets or tomatoes.
Elves love sugar.
It's no secret – Christmas elves have a huge sweet tooth! Their favourite treats are cookies, candy canes, and hot chocolate. Some elves even eat maple syrup on everything! Their sugary snacks give them the energy to work long hours and keep Christmas magic alive.
They harvested crops, including corn, rye, and oats, which they used to make porridge. They baked bread and cake, and made wine from grapes. Really, Elves can eat anything.
According to Santa, no one in the family, not even the grown-ups, should touch a Scout Elf. Their magic allows them to fly back to the North Pole each night and report on your family's Christmas cheer. If they're touched by human hands, that magic can weaken.
Fates of Elves and Men in Tolkien's legendarium. Elves are immortal but can be killed in battle, in which case they go to the Halls of Mandos in Aman for an afterlife.
Sweet Snacks
You may have heard the rumor that elves love sweets, and it happens to be 100% true! What you may not know is that many of the sweets elves eat are exclusive North Pole foods with a dash of Christmas magic, including special cereals made by Mrs. Claus and gummy fruity treats concocted at the North Pole.
To make an elf happy, create fun scenarios for them to "do" overnight, like having a toy party, getting into sprinkles/cookies, playing games (tic-tac-toe with marshmallows), setting up mini scenes (camping, yoga), or leaving out treats and notes for them to enjoy, all while treating them with kindness and making them feel part of the family, as a happy elf reports good things to Santa.