You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I’m tellin’ you why.
Well, why?
Because Santa has a super secretive co-op team of elves known as Scout Elves that help Santa determine whether or not your children are being Naughty or Nice. Scout Elves will typically arrive in families’ homes after Thanksgiving. It will then become their job to watch and report back to Santa how their child is behaving.
The story of the Scout Elves takes place in The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition. Originally published in 2005, the book takes direct inspiration from the 1970s tradition started within the author, Carol Aebersold’s, own family. Once a family reads the book and names their elf, it is imbued with Christmas magic and abilities!
According to the rules of the book, if an elf is touched by a child, it will lose its magic and be forced to go back to the North Pole. Elves are also unable to move when a child is awake, although children are encouraged to speak to their elves and pass along letters to them to deliver to Santa.
After flying back from the North Pole, the elves will often change their position in the home so that the children can find them in the morning. It’s even become a trend on social media to post photos of your elf and the mischief that they find themselves getting up to before children are awake!
However, children are not allowed to touch the elves. If they do, the elf will lose its magic, forced to fly back before Christmas, and unable to tell Santa the child’s wishes.
There’s been countless interpretations and changes to the elves over the years, including an animated special An Elf’s Story: The Elf on the Shelf, as well as numerous fashion accessories and even Elf Pets. The pets play a huge role in providing the elves with magic, each having their own “kindness barrel”, filled by a child’s good deeds, that they deliver back to the North Pole.
Elf on the Shelf continues to be a tradition for families around the globe, inspiring kindness and compassion in every home.
Grace Fusco • Dec 16, 2024 at 7:42 am
It’s a cute tradition that helps incorporate picking up toys doing homework because the elf is watching and reporting. My granddaughter is 6 and looks forward to see what he has done