He’s either a source of holiday joy or a nightly pain in the
a**, but the Elf on the Shelf has become a solid part of our holiday
traditions. But where did he come from?
In 2005, Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell wrote and self-published “The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition” based on
their own elf Fisbee, and a star of Christmas was born. Fisbee was a '50s era
elf from Carol’s own childhood who would file naughty or nice reports back to Santa.
In 2007, Jennifer Garner was seen holding the book in a
paparazzi photo, and a phenomenon was born. Now the Elf on the Shelf brand boasts not only the doll and the book, but
clothes, pets and accessories, not to mention TV specials and a musical. Over 13 million elves have been sold, and it’s now a multi-million dollar brand.
But before the holiday juggernaut, the elves were popular
holiday decorations, not reporting to the big guy nor engaging in overnight mayhem.
They were just cheap decorations imported from Japan that appeared in most middle-class homes.
Known as knee-hugger elves, they were made by Yuletide of Japan in the 1950s and '60s. The kitschy creatures were made of felt wrapped around
poseable wires. Their knees could be tucked into their arms, thus the name.
They could be your elf on the shelf, but also the mantle, the tree or wherever you
fancied.
These elves harken back to a simpler time when there were
less expectations on parents and an elf was simply a cute doll that didn’t need
to do anything. These knee-hugger elves were in so many homes, including mine.
Here are my elves circa the 1970s or earlier, which may or may not be official:
A little creepy and a little cute, right? These two elves, who do not have whimsical names like Baxter or Winnie, remain
motionless on the shelf for the duration of the season. I have told my kids
that they are elderly and can no longer engage in shenanigans, and they are OK with that. We’ve never been clear on their duties, such as if they report to Santa
or not. They're just cool little bits of nostalgia from my childhood that have
made an appearance every year and will continue to as long as their stuffing
stays put.
The Elf on the Shelf is a relatively new tradition as far as
the season goes, but it seems pretty firmly cemented in our culture, as long as kids at the playground keep telling each other about the hilarious trouble their elf got into the night before. Not matter if you're into the extra work during the busiest holiday season of the year or not, the most important thing is to make them part of your
holiday, in the way you choose to celebrate.