With Christmas done and dusted for another year it’s time to retire that pesky Elf on the Shelf until next December at least. The relatively recent Christmas tradition has been embraced by parents across the globe, although some may take the whole thing a little too far.
Any parents who struggle to find fun ways to keep Christmas time magical for their children can rely on TikTok to provide them with some brilliant and creative ways to make things feel more festive. The app is full of videos of devoted parents placing the elf in different spots around the house in order to keep up the illusion that the little fella is real. To most children, the Elf on the Shelf is as real and alive as Santa Claus himself.
Of course, typically the little pointy eared guy would stay in the house, keeping an eye on children for Santa and making sure that they make it on the nice list. However, one dad decided to take things a step further by bringing the elf to his kid’s preschool Christmas program.
The video, posted by Jess DesFosses and in the caption she jokingly writes, “Blink twice if elf on the shelf is holding you hostage.” But, if you ask me, it doesn’t look like a hostage situation, it looks more like a dad who’s fully embraced the spirit of Christmas – if you’re going to do Elf on the Shelf you may as well commit 100% right? Go big or go home.
Elf on the Shelf is a modern Christmas tradition
The craze started back in 2005, with the release of the book, The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition. Written by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chander Bell it tells the story of small elves who are set to keep an eye on children and report back to Santa every night. The book comes with a box set that includes the official scout elf doll.
With the rise of social media in the years since its release the trend has only continued to grow year upon year and even celebrities have been getting involved. According to a YouGov survey of parents in the U.S. Elf on the Shelf has become a yearly tradition for 30% of families surveyed, 61% also answered that they think it’s fun. However, not everyone is on board with the idea with 32% thinking that the tradition is weird or creepy, 21% never having heard of it, and 18% thinking it’s just too much hard work.
While it may not be everybody’s cup of tea, it seems like some parents are willing and able to commit to this new Christmas tradition, putting their own spin on the idea, like taking the scout elves out to a Christmas Pageant. I wonder what those elves will get up to next year.
Published: Dec 26, 2024 11:32 am