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What’s Your Elf Doing On Its Shelf This Year?

One of America’s newer traditions was created by a mother-daughter trio who wanted to share a bit of their Scandinavian heritage with other families to add to the magic of the holidays.

🎅🏻 It Came From The North Pole 🤶🏻

Believe in love. Believe in magic. Hell, believe in Santa Clause. Believe in others. Believe in yourself. Believe in your dreams. If you don’t, who will? ~Jon Bon Jovi

In 2005, mother and daughter Carol Aebersold and Chanda Bell wrote The Elf On The Shelf: A Christmas Tradition, but it was turned down by every traditional publisher they approached.

Using personal funds, they founded CCA and B, LLC along with Bell’s twin sister, Christa Pitts to produce an initial run of 5000 copies. The trio sold these storybooks in person, at state fairs and trade shows.

With persistence, the idea caught on and really took off when movie star, Jennifer Garner, was spotted with a copy of the book in 2007. By 2011, there was a ballon of The Elf on the Shelf added to the Macy’s Day Parade.

They’ve gone on to sell over 12 million Scout Elves and routinely appear on the Publishers Weekly, USA Today and Wall Street Journal best-seller lists.

The Elf On The…

Elf on the Shelf Full Movie

With the wild success of The Elf on The Shelf, the family trio of The Lumistella Company has expanded offerings from the original story book and poseable figure to the animated feature above and an interactive website with a play area for the kids, a resource center for parents and a Facebook group with a constant stream of ideas.

Among their many offerings, there’s even a touring Broadway-style musical with two songs penned by Carol Aebersold.

The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Musical MONTAGE

Despite the widespread popularity of this charming Christmas craze, it does have its detractors.

Civil libertarians warn that having these elves around for the holidays teaches kids to accept the legitimacy of a surveillance state.

I think that’s overstating things. The same logic could be applied to the idea of Santa knowing when you are sleeping, when you’re awake, knowing if you’re bad or good (so be good, for goodness’ sake).

Santa’s awareness of children’s behavior is a long-accepted part of the holiday season. Aebersold and her daughters added a whimsical layer to this bit of Christmas magic. It’s up to you whether you think this would be a fun part of your family’s holiday celebrations.

Is There An Elf On YOUR Shelf?

A good many things go around in the dark besides Santa Claus. ~Herbert Hoover

Parents who have embraced the magical charm of The Elf on the Shelf have a ton of hilarious ideas to share with other parents who are just getting started with this new family tradition. As much as parents have adopted these mischievous Santa’s helpers, media outlets also do their part to spread the Christmas joy.

Part of the charm of The Elf on the Shelf is that the children find them in a variety of silly vignettes each day. How do those elves get around if they’re just little toy figures? Some clever parents have caught their elves moving around at night on camera so the kids can see what they get up to each night.

British vlogger-mom, Emily Norris provides us with 99 fun things to do with The Elf on the Shelf.

These charming little elves have become a much-beloved part of the holiday season for millions of families. If you aren’t already on the shelf with these elves, we hope this post has shown you how much fun they can add to your Christmas festivities.