Headless Horseman Elf on the Shelf Idea

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Alright, for those of you asking for some spooky elf ideas… I have a good one today!  Check out this awesome headless horseman elf on the shelf idea.

Today’s addition to your huge collection of elf ideas is a little darker than our other elf ideas, but perfect for those of you who can’t get enough of the macabre and Halloween! You are probably familar with the legend of the headless horseman, a popular character in various folktales, including The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Since we weren’t about to decapitate our poor elf, we went with a Halloween twist and instead of actually headless, he has a jack o’ lantern for a face/head.

Headless Horseman Elf on the Shelf Idea

headless horseman elf

Earlier this fall, we were shopping at the craft store (Micheal’s) and found these amazing paper mache jack o’lantern pumpkins.  I was trying my best to gauge their size in relation to our elf’s head and I determined that they were pretty close.  It turned out, they were a great size, though I did have to put a small cut into the back of the pumpkin so that the elf’s head could slide inside easier.

One funny sidenote: scroll down to the picture where I actually show the inside of these pumpkins.  What the heck?  LOL!  They were literally made from old math worksheets, I’m guessing maybe textbook or workbook pages.  Too funny!  (And way to recycle!)

Headless Horseman Elf Supplies

To make this scene, you will need the following supplies:

headless horseman elf supplies

How to make the scene

1. Use the knife to cut an opening in the bottom of the pumpkin.  I did have to make a cut in the back of the pumpkin in order to slide it over the elf’s head.

paper mache pumpkins cut open

2. Paint the pumpkin orange and set it aside to dry.

3. Find a horse toy as a prop.  Place the pumpkin over the elf’s head and set the elf on top of the horse.  Totally spooky and fun!

headless horseman elf close up


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We definitely could have used the help of a printable Elf on the Shelf Calendar to help us think of new hiding spots.  Live and learn!

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Print our Naughty and Nice List Free Printable because, well? The holidays!

Naughty and Nice List Free Printable

Check out our Christmas Toy Challenge from Your Elf + FREE Printable Poem!  Teach your kiddos to pay it forward while recycling… AND alleviate some clutter in the play room before Santa brings a new delivery!

A Christmas Toy Challenge

DID SOMEONE TOUCH THE ELF?!  You might need some MAGIC ELF DUST… made even easier with our FREE PRINTABLE!!

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Maybe your elf feels like a car race! Get our free printable checkered racing flags!

Elf Race Car Checkered Flag

Do you want to build a snowman?  Your elf does!  Get our free printable snowman signs!

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