Parents Get Creative To Make Holiday Magic: 'The Things We Do'

A mother posted a now-viral video showing how she sparked some holiday magic for her daughter using the popular Elf on the Shelf.

TikTok user @my.life.be.like08 posted the video, which amassed more than seven million views, and said her daughter set up cameras to try to capture the moment that Santa's watchful helper flew around the room.

"We had to get creative, and make this f****** thing fly at midnight tired [as f***]," the text over the video read. "The things we do for these kids man..."

'Why Should Elf On The Shelf Have All The Fun?'

There are a few different ways for parents to spread the holiday cheer, and Grace Bastidas, editor-in-chief of Parents, told Newsweek in an email that it only takes a bit of creativity.

She allows her own daughters to decorate their room with a small cardboard tree. Bastidas said parents can set up a video call with St. Nick on zuhoo.com, which also offers a Spanish-speaking Santa Claus.

"Why should the Elf on the Shelf have all the fun? You can dress up your kid's dolls and stuffed animals with homemade seasonal outfits like scarves you can make by cutting strips of felts and snipping a fringe at each end," she said.

The family can also go out together and look at the holiday lights on display.

"Make this simple excursion even more fun by turning it into a scavenger hunt," Bastidas suggested. "Give each family member a list of common decorations—a menorah, a wreath, an inflatable snowman, a nutcracker—and see who can check them all off first."

Families celebrating Hanukkah can come up with special themes each night, Bastidas said, like a cooking competition or a "build-your-own dreidel demo."

Older kids can still experience the holiday magic by decorating cookies and gingerbread houses. Bastidas said that parents can also have a holiday pop playlist or a holiday movie on hand for everyone to enjoy.

"Tweens and teens can also spread goodwill by volunteering," she said. "There are plenty of options, but some kids get a lot of satisfaction out of serving and delivering holiday meals or making care packages for those in need. It's a simple way to pay it forward."

The Flying Elf

In the video, music began playing before glitter rained down. The elf was then seen soaring around in a circle before it popped up to peek at the camera in the corner.

@my.life.be.like08 posted another video giving viewers a glimpse into how she made it possible with glitter, a fishing line and a screw-in hook.

She explained that she installed a screw-in hook in the ceiling just a few feet from where the elf was sitting.

"You might need two people for this," @my.life.be.like08 said. "So, we did the glitter, and then I played the fairy music on YouTube."

After tying the string around the elf and threading it through the hook, @my.life.be.like08's husband pulled on the line to give the illusion of the elf flying through the air.

"Pretty simple, you really just need fishing line and this hook," she said. "I would say the glitter and the sound is just a bonus, but not necessary."

'A Core Memory'

Viewers rushed to the comments section to applaud the pair for their efforts to make a special holiday memory.

"This will be a core memory and she's going to believe forever omg," a viewer wrote.

"This should be up for an Emmy," another said. "Gold, pure gold."

"I had the WORST last two days and this made me laugh," one viewer said. "I cannot imagine the planning that went into this."

Newsweek reached out to @my.life.be.like08 for further comment.

Plenty of other holiday-related videos have previously gone viral, including a clip showing a pug staring longingly at his Christmas stocking.

Another video showed how a woman got into the holiday spirit by turning her hair into a decorated Christmas tree.

Mariah Carey, the singer of the wildly popular Christmas song "All I Want For Christmas Is You", declared the holiday countdown has officially begun in a viral video posted the morning after Halloween.