The History of the Elf on the Shelf

In 2004, a book popularized the tradition of the Elf on the Shelf, a modern tradition. The Elf on the Shelf story starts with elves journeying from the North Pole to help Santa keep track of his naughty and nice children. Every night, the elf travels back to the North Pole and reports his observations to Santa. Kids awaken to find their elf in different positions every night and wonder how.

It turns out that the Elf on the Shelf tradition began in the 1970s, with Carol Aebersold and her daughters, Chanda Bell and Christa Pitts. Their tradition began with Fisbee, an elf that would miraculously change positions every night. The twins always acted on their best behavior because they felt as if Santa was hearing them, which also gave them an opportunity to directly tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. Carol taught her daughters that the elf would fly around to the North Pole every night, losing its power if it were ever to be touched by humans. As Chanda Bell grew up, she wished that every kid around her had the same experience that she had, and so she decided to write a book. What seemed to be a fun project turned out to be the start of a new tradition.

In 2007 the Elf on the Shelf became more popular. Actress Jennifer Garner had a picture taken of her and an Elf on the Shelf box, leading to "Today" creating a segment on this possible new trend. After that, the Elf on the Shelf company had to take a massive number of calls and orders from people because everyone wanted one. Since then, more than 13 million elves have been sold, and they even earned a Best Toy Award from Learning Express Toys in 2008.

The Elf on the Shelf tradition has become one of the most popular and unforgettable traditions for December and has left an impact on children that will be remembered for generations to come.