The Elf on the Shelf: Keeping the Christmas Spirit Alive

Our family elf is named Joe, and he has been around for many years. This year my daughter is 9 1/2, so I'm not sure how impressed she will be with Joe, but I can tell you that my younger nieces and nephews are always on their best behavior when Joe is out and about in my house.

Adopt Your Very Own Elf and Get the Book as Well

When you purchase The Elf on the Shelf, you get your very own elf and a storybook as well. The story is designed to explain to young kids who the elf is and why the elf has made it into your home. If your children are anything like my daughter, they will be extremely excited to tell everybody and anybody that they meet when their elf makes its big debut.

Don't Leave the Elf on the Shelf; Have Fun Instead

I'm sure that there are families that choose to just leave their elf on the shelf during the holidays, but our house elf is a mischievous elf that was constantly getting into trouble. In fact, my daughter would tear down the stairs everyday to find out what her elf had got into the night before. I came up with most of our scenarios myself, but Pinterest and YouTube have a plethora of ideas to inspire you if you get stuck.

Elf on the Shelf Options

When I purchased my elf years ago, I don't remember there being more than one option to choose from. Our family elf, like many others, is blond haired and blue eyed. However, today, parents can choose from a variety of different elves. For instance, there are dark-skinned elves, female elves, and a variety of others.

My favorite part of our family elf tradition was that it helped my daughter believe a little bit longer than she would have without it. It was also a fun tradition to start. Even though the elf in my house may not be as mischievous as he was years before, he will still be gracing our shelf and hopefully someday our elf will be mischievous in my daughter's house with my grandchildren too.

While Joe, my family's elf, is the most common kind of elf available, he isn't the only type of elf offered. This makes sense since Santa probably has dozens of different elves handling his business. Some of the most popular alternatives to the male Elf that graces the shelves of many homes is the dark-skinned Elf on the shelf and girl elves.

Did you know there are accessories for your Elf on the Shelf now? There are! You can buy them a pet Reindeer or St. Bernard? There's also lots of outfits to purchase. You can even buy outfits for the elf's new pet. With so much going on, your kids will look forward to The Elf visiting every single year.