A Gonk Hide-and-Seek Game for December
Looking for a December tradition that takes two minutes a day? Hide a gonk somewhere new each morning and let the children find it. Here is how to play.
Plenty of families have a December character who moves around the house overnight. A gonk is a lovely alternative: it is quieter, easier to hide, and fits the Scandinavian folklore of the tomte, a small guardian who watches over the home in winter. Here is a simple version of the game that takes about two minutes a day.
How to play
- Introduce your gonk on 1 December. Give it a name, and explain that gonks come from Scandinavian stories about small, shy spirits who look after the house in winter. Our history of gonks has the background.
- Hide it every night after the children are in bed, somewhere new each time.
- Let them search each morning. Whoever finds the gonk gets to choose where it "watches" from during breakfast.
- Christmas Eve treat: on the last night, leave out a small bowl of porridge or rice pudding with a knob of butter, as Scandinavian families traditionally do for the tomte. In the morning, the bowl is empty.
Hiding ideas
- Peeping out of a plant pot or the fruit bowl.
- Sitting on top of a picture frame with its legs dangling.
- Tucked between books on a shelf.
- Inside a welly by the back door.
- Among the branches of the Christmas tree.
- In the bread bin, wrapped in a tea towel "blanket".
- On the bathroom windowsill, "looking out for snow".
- In a child's coat pocket, ready for the school run.
Keep it easy
- Set a phone reminder for after bedtime so you don't forget.
- Keep a list of hiding places so you don't repeat yourself too often.
- Make it harder as they grow. Toddlers need it in plain sight; older children enjoy real challenges and written clues.
- No mess required. Unlike some December traditions, the gonk doesn't need to make mischief. Its job is simply to keep watch.
Choosing the right gonk
If young children will be picking the gonk up, use a soft toy gonk with a UKCA or CE mark rather than a decoration. Many decorative gonks are weighted with sand or pellets and have small parts. Our guide are gonks safe for children? explains what to look for.
A medium-sized gonk, about 20 to 30cm tall, is easiest: big enough to spot, small enough to hide. A gonk with dangly legs is especially good for perching on shelves and frames. See types of gonk.
Make it your own
Some families give the gonk a little notebook to "write" in, or let it bring a small treat on weekends. Others make their own gonk together at the end of November using our sock gonk guide. However you play it, the best traditions are the ones that are easy enough to keep going every year.
Looking for a gonk to start with? Browse our hand-picked gonks.
