Start a New Halloween Tradition – Meet Sneaky Skel!

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Looking to start a Halloween tradition that’s fun, simple, and inexpensive? Look no further than Sneaky Skeleton!

Start a Fun, Simple Halloween Tradition

Besides pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating, we don’t have much in the way of fun family Halloween traditions. This year, because I knew the kids would love it, I decided to get some creepy decorations.

(We have some fall decor, but for some strange reason, Evan, who’s 7, and Nate, who’s 5, aren’t thrilled by my coffee table tray. Go figure.)

Thing is, I don’t want to buy or store a huge inflatable Frankenstein or giant spider webs.

Much as I appreciate driving past decked-out houses, we don’t have the space to manage Halloween decor on that scale. So I was happy to find a light, foldable plastic skeleton at Target for twenty bucks. Done.

When I saw just how posable this guy was, it sparked an idea.

Sneaky Skel – A Halloween Tradition for the Whole Family

Move over, Elf on the Shelf. Meet Sneaky Skel.

(I REALLY wanted a rhyming name. The closest I came was “Where the Hell is Skel?” But the whole part about trying to use kid appropriate language got in the way…. 🙂 A couple more name changes later, we arrived at Sneaky Skel. It doesn’t rhyme, but at least I got in some of my much-loved alliteration. 🙂 )

On the off-chance you’re not acquainted with Elf on the Shelf, let me explain.

An elf arrives from the North Pole (i.e. via Amazon for $32.95), sent by Santa to keep tabs on the kiddos and help make the nice/naughty list determinations.

In addition to reporting to HQ, the elf moves around the house at night and has been known to get up to some pretty crazy shenanigans. Google “elf on the shelf ideas” and you’ll see the creative possibilities are endless.

It’s easy to see why this holiday sprite has become a wildly popular Christmas tradition among many families, but much to my son’s displeasure, I’ve resisted.

I just can’t handle the thought of adding ONE MORE THING–a daily thing at that!–to December’s to-do list.

I love the holidays, but as a family that celebrates both Hanukkah and Christmas, we already have so many activities crammed into the month.

That’s why I’m pretty excited about Sneaky Skel.

He’s a fun family Halloween tradition in the spirit of Elf on the Shelf, but without the December stress.

The bonus is that the kids aren’t under the impression this is a magic skeleton that moves on its own, so they can get in on the fun, too. As you can see in the photo, it was Evan who first discovered Skel’s impressive climbing skills.

Sneaky Skel also likes to hang out on light fixtures, crawl into cereal boxes, and relax with a good book.

You’ll notice that he varies in size in the photos below and has gained a couple friends…more on that later this week.

Getting Started on the Sneaky Skel Halloween Tradition

If you want to get your own Sneaky Skel, here’s one similar to ours.

Though we also experimented with a bigger one, we’ve had the most fun with this 16″ guy because he can fit in smaller spaces, like the kids’ underwear drawers (bwah ha ha!).

To make it even easier to start this tradition, I’ve created a FREE printable checklist of Sneaky Skel ideas to cover the whole month of October! It even has check boxes so you can track where Skel has already made an appearance.

Just enter your email address below, then check your inbox.

Hope you have one “skel” of a good time with this fun Halloween tradition! 🙂