Holiday Elf Invasion

Elf Invasion: Rube Goldberg Edition

This year’s main event was the Elf Invasion a creative challenge where team members were tasked with designing a Rube Goldberg–style trap to capture mischievous elves and send them back to the North Pole.

As always, entries were encouraged to incorporate Sullivan’s-inspired elements, shop materials, or cabinetry-related creativity. Some traps worked flawlessly from start to finish, while others didn’t quite make it all the way, but every single one was impressive in its own way. The creativity, problem-solving, and effort put into each build truly blew us away.

We were also joined by special guests Emily and Ash from Malibu Homes, who helped judge the traps and added to the fun of the competition!

Rube Goldberg Elf Trap Awards

Overall Best Traps

Kaitlyn (Left) for her Sullivan’s-themed trap that stood out in creativity and design.

Brian (Right) for the most functional trap, earning major points for working smoothly from start to finish.

Best Use of Engineering: 

Seth who impressed everyone with his fully 3D-printed trap and smart mechanical design.

Most Sullivan’s-Related:

Todd built a trap that perfectly captured the Sullivan’s theme from start to finish.

Most Festive Trap: 

Keith put together a true winter wonderland complete with a lot of Christmas trees.

Best Use of Materials: 

Walter stunned the audience with a Batman-themed trap built entirely from popsicle sticks.

Most Dramatic: 

Lisa, Stephanie, and Alex were recognized for their creative play that added storytelling and flair to the competition. (Left)

Honorable Mention: 

Levi and Jacob were recognized for their last-minute, phoned-in traps that delivered big laughs despite the short notice. (Middle & Right)

Holiday Lunch & Game Time

After enjoying our holiday lunch together, we kicked off the games, which featured four rounds of challenges.

Round One: Ornament Decorating

Everyone participated in decorating clear ornaments, but with a surprise theme called out by Jack. Instead of something Christmas-related, the challenge was… shark hunting in Australia!

The winning ornaments stood out for their creativity, with team members transforming clear ornaments into underwater scenes and even shaping pipe cleaners into sharks to hang them.

Round Two: Candy Chopsticks Challenge

Competitors raced against the clock using chopsticks to collect specific candies, M&Ms, Skittles, or Reese’s Pieces,  all while sticking to their assigned candy and color. Precision, patience, and steady hands were key in this round.

Round Three: Whipped Cream Surprise

The four remaining contestants went all in, literally, by dipping their faces into whipped cream to search for a hidden box at the bottom. Inside the boxes were either pom poms or nothing at all. The two lucky contestants who found pom poms advanced to the final round.

Final Round: Scavenger Hunt Madness

The final challenge was a fast-paced scavenger hunt that sent contestants searching for everything from a sock with a hole (because all socks have holes) to recruiting three team members to dance the electric slide with them. It was chaotic, hilarious, and the perfect way to end the competition.

Big Winners 🏅

1st Place: Scott

Scott took home the grand prize of $1,000 Scheels gift card!

2nd Place: Rita

Rita walked away with a new TV and speaker, an exciting win to wrap up the day.

This year’s holiday party was full of creativity, laughter, and friendly competition a reminder of the incredible team behind everything we do. We’re truly grateful to everyone who participated, planned, judged, and helped bring the day together.

Looking ahead to another year of teamwork, craftsmanship, and memories worth celebrating.