Introducing Tana – the Southwest Montana Elf on the Shelf

Elf on the Shelf is a beloved tradition by many. At the beginning of December 2021, we found that Santa had sent one of his scout elves to Southwest Montana! We’ve received notice from the big man himself that Tana is on her way back to Southwest Montana – making her debut December 1, 2023! While we know she will be reporting back to the North Pole, we are having a great time sharing her many adventures from around the region!

*if you are interested in following along checkout our Facebook page or Instagram profile on December 1st!

When this cute little elf first started plotting her travels through Montana, we figured she probably needed a name. After a lively debate, we were stuck between Gem (for the precious stones found in the region), Tana (short for Montana), Jeanette (after Jeanette Rankin the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress) and Ginny (in honor of Montana’s second territorial capital, Virginia City). With a little help from our followers, we landed on the name Tana for our mischievous little scout elf.

As part of the Elf on the Shelf tradition, children wake up each morning and rush to find their loyal scout elf somewhere in the house and discover what mischief they have gotten themselves into overnight. I don’t have to tell you, but it’s HARD to find such a small elf when you have 21,097 square miles to search! You can bet we’ve put more than a few miles in looking for Tana.

Southwest Montana Region Map

If we’ve learned anything thus far, it’s that Tana loves traveling and wants to explore as many Southwest Montana communities as possible before she returns to the North Pole.

In years past, Tana has explored quite a bit of Southwest Montana … even doing a little shopping on her travels. While in Southwest Montana, Tana has:

gone shopping at the Patagonia Outlet and along the Helena Walking Mall
taken a break at some of our micro-breweries
immersed herself in the history of the region
admired the artwork in our many galleries and museums
made sure she was fully caffeinated at a coffee shop or two
and even hit the trails at Thompson Park

While Tana has already covered a lot of ground, there are still plenty of adventures for her to have in Southwest Montana! Scroll through some of the places Tana has already explored!