Elf door: how to make one, and where it should go

Many families put up an elf door at the start of December, as a small, quiet tradition that lasts the rest of the month. Here you can read where the idea comes from, what you need to make your own, and how to bring it to life with tracks, a letter and a bit of rice pudding, without it turning into a big production.

What an elf door actually is

An elf door isn't a real door you can open, but a little decoration that looks like a miniature door. It's usually placed by the skirting board or at the bottom of a wall, so it looks as though a little creature could walk through it at night. The point is the imagination: children picture the elf using the door to come and go while he's visiting the house in December. It doesn't require expensive tools or many hours. An elf door can be made from whatever you already have in the drawer, such as cardboard, scraps of card or lolly sticks, and it can be taken down again once January arrives.

Where the elf door comes from

The idea comes from fairy doors, which you might know from abroad. A fairy door is a little door, often placed at the foot of a tree, behind which you can leave letters, wishes or gifts for the fairies. One of the first known fairy doors appeared in 1993, when Jonathan and Kathleen Wright in Ann Arbor, Michigan, found a little door in the skirting board of their home. Since then, the phenomenon has spread, and today you can also buy ready-made fairy doors, among other things as a way to spark children's imagination.

According to Kristeligt Dagblad, Australia has had similar little doors, which instead hang on the wall, where a fairy can come in at night. When the idea came to Denmark, the fairy became an elf, and unlike the Australian tradition, the Danish elf doesn't come all year round, only in December. This fits well with the elf as we know him from Danish, Scanian and Norwegian folklore, where he's a house spirit attached to the farm. The farm elf lived in houses, stables and barns and only required a bowl of porridge with a big knob of butter for the holidays, and if he was unhappy, he might play tricks.

What you need for your elf door

You don't need many materials to make an elf door, and you can probably find most of them at home:

• Cardboard, card or a thin wooden board as the base shape
• Lolly sticks, if you want to build the door up from little planks
• Paint in whatever colours you fancy
• Glue to join the pieces together
• A little bead or button as a door handle
• Something that can be removed from the wall again without taking the paint with it, for example adhesive putty or tape

Here's an overview of the materials you can use to make your own elf door.

How to make the elf door step by step

1. Shape the door itself and a small frame around it, either in cardboard or made of lolly sticks glued together.
2. Paint the door in the colour or colours you've chosen, and let it dry completely.
3. Attach a small bead or button as a door handle.
4. Feel free to add details, such as a little sign with the elf's name, a miniature staircase up to the door, or a small doormat made from a piece of fabric.
5. Fasten the door to the desired spot with adhesive putty or tape, so it can be taken down again without damaging the wall once December is over.

Where the elf door should go

The most common placement is by the skirting board or at the bottom of a wall, somewhere the elf could plausibly sneak around the house. It's a good idea to choose a spot where the children can easily see the door, but where it doesn't get in the way. Avoid places where it gets kicked in everyday life, or where it blocks cleaning, for example right behind a door that's used a lot. A quiet corner in the living room or in the children's room often works well, because there's room to leave tracks and letters around it without disrupting the daily life of the household.

How to bring the elf door to life

It's the small details around the door itself that bring the tradition to life. Footprints of icing sugar across the floor, a short letter from the elf and a bowl of rice pudding set out in the evening give the impression that there really has been a visit during the night. According to Niels Peder Pedersen, who researches the developmental history of elves, it requires parents to leave convincing little footprints and not let the rice pudding sit untouched, for the illusion to hold. A small bowl, for example a ceramic bowl, can be used for exactly the rice pudding the elf is meant to find in the morning.

The elf isn't only friendly. Just like the farm elf in folklore, who might play tricks if he was unhappy, the modern elf might also get up to a bit of mischief during December. It doesn't need to be more than a small detail, like something that's been moved slightly, to keep the story going without it becoming a big project in itself.

An elf door without the pressure

The most important thing is that the elf door doesn't become yet another task that adds pressure to the Christmas month. Psychologist Charlotte Diamant tells TV 2 that you should do it because you want to, and do it calmly and with presence. Health visitor Helen Lyng Hansen tells TV 2 that you shouldn't do anything that puts unnecessary pressure on the family at Christmas, and that the money is better spent on Christmas food and Christmas presents than on fruit colouring and an artificial elf door.

A homemade elf door made of cardboard, lolly sticks and a bit of paint is cheap to make, and because it's made from simple materials, it can easily be packed away after Christmas and brought out again the following December. That way, the tradition becomes something that grows over the years, without having to cost much or take long to make.

Frequently asked questions

What is an elf door?

An elf door is a small, decorative door placed by the skirting board or at the bottom of a wall, so it looks as if the elf can come in and out of it at night in December.

How do you make an elf door?

You shape a door and a frame from cardboard, card or lolly sticks, paint it, attach a small bead or button as a handle and fasten it with something that can be removed again, like adhesive putty or tape.

Where should an elf door be placed?

It's best placed by the skirting board or at the bottom of a wall, where the children can see it, but where it won't get kicked or get in the way of cleaning.

When do you put up the elf door?

Most families put up the elf door at the start of December, so it can be a permanent part of the household's Christmas traditions for the rest of the month.

Where do elf doors come from?

The idea comes from fairy doors known from abroad, including an early fairy door in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1993, and from Australia, where fairy doors hang on the wall; in Denmark, the fairy became a nisse that only appears in December.

What can you put by the nisse door?

A small bowl of rice pudding, preferably with a knob of butter, a little letter from the nisse and footprints made of icing sugar are classic details that give the impression the nisse has paid a visit during the night.

Summary

A nisse door is a small, homemade detail that, using simple materials like cardboard, lolly sticks and paint, can be set up by the skirting board or at the bottom of a wall. The tradition comes from fairy doors abroad, but in Denmark it became the nisse's door, which only comes out in December. With footprints, a letter and a bowl of rice pudding, the nisse door can bring the whole Christmas tradition to life without costing much or putting pressure on the family.

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