Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition

Our three year old twins are getting old enough where they are starting to understand certain concepts so we thought this Christmas would be the perfect year to purchase an Elf on the Shelf. They loved it and had so much fun with it! I believe Elf on the Shelf is a relatively new tradition but I love the look of the scout elf because he has the look of a 1950s figurine. Included in the very sturdy and reusable box is the elf and a colorful, hardcover storybook which explains in a rhyming, storytelling manner how to use the Elf on the Shelf. The elf itself is approximately 13 inches tall, fully-extended, and his outfit feels like it is made of a felt-like material. His body is stuffed with plastic pellets and his head is made of hard plastic with nicely painted-on facial features. He doesn't sit very well by himself but there are plenty of ways to prop him up. His hands are also stitched together which makes it fun to dangle him from a doorknob, chandelier, or any other fun spot you can think of!The storybook is a beautiful hardcover with colorful pictures and the book reads like a rhyme. It is approximately 26 pages long and explains how the Elf on the Shelf works. The idea behind it is the scout elf is sent to your family each year and will keep an eye on the children on behalf of Santa. You get to name the elf and he will continue to be your family's scout elf. At night, the elf will fly to the North Pole to report good and/or naughty behavior, then fly back to the family where he will get into something during the night and the children will wake up the next morning, excited to find him! The elf is always watching and the only rule is that the elf can't be touched otherwise the magic will disappear. When the elf flies back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve, he won't return to your family until the next Christmas season.I really love this activity for my kids and felt that, at almost three years old, it was the perfect age to introduce this to them! My kids always got so excited to look for our elf in the morning and kept asking throughout the day why he was trying to get out the door or why he was hanging from the Christmas tree. I was also very impressed with how well my kids listened to the rule and they never touched him. Whenever they started acting up, I would tell them our elf is watching and we don't want him to have to report any naughty behavior to Santa. It didn't always work but hey, I tried. Overall, I think this is a great activity for families and I felt it was very reasonably priced for the amount of fun we had. I highly recommend this to give your kids something to look forward to every morning during the Christmas season!

I love that it came with a cover in a box so every year we can store it away no problem. Well made hasn't fallen apart at all.

I got this two Christmases ago for my son to start the elf on the shelf tradition. The book came in excellent condition. The elf did too. The elf is still holding up well. My son is obsessed with the elf on the shelf.

This creature possesses dark magic. I thought I was going to have to move him around like other people say they do but I didn't. He was always in a different place in the morning. At first the things "Jingle" did were pretty cute; making the toilet paper into a snow man, writing notes to my child in cute backwards handwriting...but then things started to get strange. The first morning that I became concerned was when I found him in my daughters bathroom in front of the mirror that had writing on it. I expected it to say something cute like "It's almost Christmas" or "Happy Holidays!" but what I found was "REDRUM". Being horror movie fans, I just chalked it up to him trying to mess with my husband and I and told my daughter that he was just being silly. But then the next morning, I found something VERY disturbing. Jingle was sitting in my daughters floor with one of her barbies in A NOOSE. After this occurred I told my daughter I thought it was time to send Jingle back to the North Pole and ask Santa for a new elf. She was confused but said okay. So I took the elf and tossed him in the dumpster at our apartments and went to Target to purchase a new one. Due to being freaked out over the elf I had received I purchased a girl one this time. That night I showed my child her new Elf on a Shelf and she named her "Lulu Bell". That evening I placed Lulu Bell in the Christmas tree and the next morning she was still there! I was elated that I had finally gotten a normal elf and that Jingle was gone. I went to bed that next night after putting Lulu Bell on the couch with a book on her lap and the next morning I woke up to my daughter screaming. I ran into the living room to find Lulu Bell on the floor with what I assumed was ketchup on her neck and there beside her was Jingle, with a butter knife in his hand and "ketchup" on it as well. I quickly called Amazon and informed them of the situation and then I found out, they had never sent me an elf because the one I wanted was on back order....(This was a fictional story for the amusement of myself and others. My true review is that my daughter loved her elf and we had a lot of fun with it!)

I love that this comes with a book that tells the story of what elf on the shelf is. It's easy for storage going into the next year. Ours is in place and ready for this holiday season. We started using this when my daughter was 2 and she had fun with it. I feel like she'll be even more excited this season at 3 where she can be more involved in understanding the story and what "elf" does.

Super fun Christmas tradition. My kids look forward to their elf returning every year ok December 1st. Elf is sturdy and good quality.