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Once again, we’re back in the thick of the holiday season. If your social media is anything like mine, you’re bound to see (for better or for worse) all the pictures of your friends, their kids, and what shenanigans their Elf on the Shelf is up to this year. I don’t know when Elf on the Shelf started invading my timeline, but I do know that it went from a steady creep to an explosion and then back down again as children aged out. If you’ve ever wondered, “What is Elf on the Shelf” or wanted to know the Elf on the Shelf story, then read on!
What is Elf on the Shelf?
In short, Elf on the Shelf is a newish Christmas tradition where a special scout (the elf) is sent from the North Pole (the store or storage bin) to help ensure “good” behavior from your children. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the scout flies home to the North Pole every night to report on your child’s activities, and before the kids wake up, the elf “hides” in a different location.
There are only two official rules:
- The child cannot touch the elf or the elf will lose their “magic.” If they do, they’re supposed to write an apology letter to Santa and sprinkle some cinnamon next to the elf before bedtime to restore their “magic.”
- The elf won’t move or talk when kids are awake and only report back to the North Pole when the kids are asleep.
Many families have gotten very creative in positioning the elves, and there are a lot of sites like This Worthey Life where bloggers Tatanisha and Derrick Worthey share fantastic (and wholesomely funny) Elf on the Shelf ideas and activities.
There are also a lot of fun ideas on Instagram and TikTok like these:
An elf encased in ice!
Some elves riding a robot vacuum.
An elf fishing in the bathtub with real fish. (That's a remarkable level of dedication!!)
@teddytheelfie Bathtub closed, gone fishing! . #nofishwereharmed #elfmagicact #elfonshelf #gonefishing #elfontheshelf #elfonashelf #elfchallenge #elfitup #elf #elfideas #elfonshelfidea ♬ OMG – White Gangster
Where does Elf on the Shelf come from?
As ubiquitous as the little elf is now, you may be surprised to learn that Elf on the Shelf first started out as an American picture book. Way back in 2005, Georgia-based author Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell self-published a book based on a story Aebersold told her twin daughters, Chanda Bell and Christa Pitts. The rhyming book tells the story of how Santa Claus determines who’s naughty or nice with the help of these special scouts and includes an elf doll for parents to use.
The mother-daughter trio then spent the next three years attending as many trade shows and book signings to drum up support and promote the book. Their efforts paid off. In 2008, the toy won multiple prestigious awards related to best toys and books. Then, in November 2011, a half-hour animated show retelling the story aired on CBS. The following year, the Elf on the Shelf made its first appearance in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. By 2013, the book earned the top spot on USA Today’s bestseller list.
Since then, there have been supplemental kits for birthdays as well as an unrelated Jewish version called Mensch on a Bench. Not bad for what initially started as a story between a mother and her twins, right?
What is the point of Elf on the Shelf?
As with many popular trends, some parents love it and are fully on board, embracing the fun and whimsical part of the tradition. Other parents are… not as enthusiastic.
For parents who love the Elf on the Shelf, it’s a fun and creative way to interact with their children. Kids love to wake up and hunt throughout the house to find where their elf is every morning, and it’s a chance for some parents to flex their imagination. Plus, sometimes parents just need a way to get their kids to listen, and the elf is a nice scapegoat (or carrot).
Of course, it can become a headache to come up with new and interesting hiding places, so folks like the Wortheys are invaluable to desperate parents. “The kids will be on to you if the elf doesn’t move for a few days, and that’s the last thing you need!” mother of three boys Tatanisha Worthey said on her blog. She recommended parents not stress out, and even came up with ideas like a “quarantine period” for when the elf first arrives (which buys you a few days of not moving the elf). She also gave permission to repeat some ideas during a given period. After all, even elves get tired, right?
Not everyone is on board though. Some parents think it’s grooming children to accept the concept of an entity constantly watching and reporting on your behavior in private.
“I don’t want to sound like a Grinch, but we shouldn’t be celebrating seasonal surveillance,” Albert Fox Cahn told The New York Times. The executive director of civil rights and privacy group Surveillance Technology Oversight Project added that it was “a terrible message for kids.”
Ultimately, it’s up to you. If it helps you get the kids to behave during the holidays — great! If you hate it because of privacy concerns or because it’s too much effort, don’t do it. In the end, Elf on the Shelf is supposed to be fun and provide years of memories with your children, not be a burden or a nuisance.
