There is nothing that brings a sense of Christmas spirit quite like the mischievous and magical Elf on the Shelf. Around the world, millions of families “adopt” this tiny Elf as a new addition to their family. No one expected that this new holiday tradition would dominate American and international households with the joy and anticipation for all families when they go to sleep each night.
In 2005, a mother and daughter created a holiday-themed book called The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition. This new book encouraged children and parents with a fun game of hide and seek with a scout Elf. Author Carol Aebersold received a pixie Elf as a child that acted as a scout to report back to Santa during the days leading up to the arrival of Santa Claus on Christmas day. A few decades later, both mother and daughter, Carol and Chanda, turned this festive and cheerful tradition into the very popular and best selling book. They self-published this new creation and it debuted on retail shelves all over America.
As the story goes, sometime after Thanksgiving, an Elf is sent to your home to be the eyes and ears of Santa Claus. Each day, for 25 days, they watch the children and report back to Santa every night to help him determine if they are naughty or nice. Once they get back from the North Pole every morning, they find a new place to hide. This provides a simple, yet challenging game for the children to search the house trying to find where their Elf on the Shelf has landed.
Children of our generation have grown fond and have cherished the memories with the Elf on the Shelf throughout their childhood. Even when you grow old, you will always remember the vivid memories that you shared not only with your Elf, but also your entire family. When your Elf leaves with Santa on Christmas Eve, children around the world look forward to the return of this great tradition.
