In 2005 Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell created the book “Elf on the Self”. The book comes with a small girl or boy elf that is a scout elf for Santa. You can purchase the book and elf in stores or online. The elves come down from the North Pole to sit in people’s houses to make sure children are behaving. They leave every night to report back to Santa and then make their way back to a different spot in the house.
When the Elf first arrives the family should read the book together and name their Elf. Once the Elf is placed in a spot it is important that the kids do not touch him. If he is touched he will lose his magic. Many parents use the elf to entice their children to behave or else the elf will tell Santa to put them on the naughty list.
Over the years parents have been taking their “Elf on a Shelf” ideas to the next level. Many have been turning their elves into “bad” elves or trouble makers. Instead of just placing the elf in a new spot, parents have been creating scenes in, around, and outside of the house. These crazy ideas such as the elf crashing a family’s car or the elf creating a mess inside the house have taken over the internet.
