What Is Elf On The Shelf? Plus Inspiration For The Week Ahead

While there are plenty of parents who are probably too maxxed out to be adding Elf On The Shelf to their daily routine (hi, hello, I am sadly one of them), the annual tradition remains hugely popular among families in the UK and across the pond.

In fact, just over one-third of parents (who have kids aged 10 and under) are thought to be taking part.

Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or are taking it up for the first time this year, here’s a quick recap of what it entails, as well as some inspiration for later in the week when you start to run out of steam…

Like many new events and traditions here in the UK (ahem, Black Friday), Elf on the Shelf originated in the US, as the story of an elf sent by Santa to watch over kids at Christmas time.

Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell came up with the storybook in 2004. “We grew up with this tradition in our home,” Bell previously told HuffPost UK. “When we were children, our Scout Elf, Fisbee, would come to our home and look over our family each year. I have such wonderful childhood memories with Fisbee.”

After it was rejected by publishers, the pair decided to self-publish the book in 2005 and packaged it up with an elf toy. This way, parents could make the elf pop up at different places around the house (as he did in the book), reminding kids he was on the move, keeping an eye out for Santa.

Aabersold and Bell sold the books from the backs of cars and reached out to family and friends they thought might want to adopt the tradition. Then in 2007, a picture was taken of Jennifer Garner walking down the street holding her own Elf on the Shelf box set. The photo went viral and everyone wanted to know more. By 2008, Elf on the Shelf was in major retail stores.

In short, elves are “adopted” by families and named. On 1 December, they then pop up somewhere around the house – perhaps with a note saying hi to the kids.

Once children are in bed, parents then place the elf (or elves) in different locations around the house so they are somewhere new when they wake up each morning.

The elf then says goodbye on Christmas Eve.

OK, so we’ve established how it all works. Now, here’s some festive inspiration for when you run out of steam and have no idea where to put your elves…