BY PATRICIA KELLER
"He knows if you’ve been bad or good…"
Santa Claus isn’t the only one who has those qualities. With so many families to watch over, the big man in red now has “scout elves” working to report back to him too with “The Elf on the Shelf,” a relatively new and popular Christmas tradition that is bringing joy and angst to families everywhere.
What is this “Elf on the Shelf” that seemingly everyone has?
Based upon a Christmas tradition from their own family, mother-daughter authors Carol Aebersold and Chanda Bell collaborated with illustrator Coë Steinwart (and certain special representatives of the North Pole) in 2005 to bring their tradition to families everywhere through the creation of a storybook and elf kit.
The pixie elf in the kit is one of Santa’s “scout elves” and stays with the adopted family for the entire holiday season. Sometimes a scout elf chooses a family and just seems to show up out of nowhere. Sometimes, Santa assigns an elf to a family. But sometimes families choose their own elf to adopt from popular retail stores for about $29.99. There are male and female elves, and, like the families they visit, the elves also come in various skin, hair and eye colors that are indicated on the outside of each kit. Each scout elf comes with his or her own copy of the storybook, “The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition,” that explains what exactly adopting an elf means, told all in rhyme.
The basics
The first time one of Santa’s helper “Elf on the Shelf” scout elves is adopted into a home, the family members must give their elf a name. Once the elf has a name and it is registered at www.elfontheshelf.com, the family receives a special email response from Santa himself. The scout elf’s sole responsibility is to help Santa with his naughty/nice list, reporting the children’s behaviors to Santa each night by flying back to the North Pole. Upon the elf’s return before morning, the elf chooses a different hiding place from which to observe, making it a game. Each morning, children race out of bed to try to be the first to find their elf in his or her new watching place.
The rules (yes, there are rules)
No one may touch their adopted scout elf, who appears doll-like as he or she watches over the family from the chosen hiding place, or the elf will lose its Christmas magic and will not be able to report all the good things to Santa. Although there are clothing options available in stores to purchase, families that purchase these things cannot put them on their elf, but must place the item where the scout elf can see it and can put it on by himself overnight-just before heading back to the North Pole for their nightly visit with Santa.
The Elves are not allowed to speak to the family, but each scout elf is specially trained to be a very good listener and reports the children’s wishes to Santa if the kids share.
On Christmas Eve, the scout elves return to the North Pole with Santa Claus. The following year, usually around Thanksgiving, Santa’s scout elves return to their adopted families’ homes for another season of daily watching, hiding and reporting back to Santa.
An animated TV special
An animated special, entitled “The Elf on the Shelf: An Elf’s Story,” first aired on CBS in 2011. The story is about one of these scout elves and his adopted family. In the special, a nine-year-old boy named Taylor starts to question whether he believes in Santa Claus anymore. Santa sends Chippey the scout elf to stay with Taylor and his family to try and help restore Taylor’s belief in Christmas magic. With the help of Chippey’s elf friends and the love and support of Taylor’s family, the two discover the power of love and forgiveness, and both Taylor and Chippey learn that true belief cannot be taught - Christmas is something we carry in our hearts. The special airs annually in late November and is also available on DVD.
Not all fun and games
Some children get very competitive trying to find their elf each morning, causing sibling battles that their elf sadly then has to report to Santa. Some elves are a bit naughty themselves, making messes all over the house and getting into trouble; but most elves are just happy doing their important job of reporting back to Santa and finding a new place to hide each day so the children can find them. And many a parent has had a time or two (or three or four) where they have awakened to find a distraught child staring at an elf that wasn’t in a new hiding place from the previous night, and scratch their heads trying to figure out a reason for their child as to why their elf did not move.
Overall, “The Elf on the Shelf” is a creative means to help kids remember to try to-be-good-for-goodness-sake this time of year, because not only is Santa Claus watching, but so is one of his special scout elves. And if Santa missed a few things last year when they were naughty or nice, he surely will not miss them now!