{"id":20178,"date":"2018-12-05T20:14:00","date_gmt":"2018-12-06T01:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/?p=20178"},"modified":"2026-09-21T20:16:43","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T00:16:43","slug":"just-who-is-the-elf-on-the-shelf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advertisingweek.com\/aw360\/news\/just-who-is-the-elf-on-the-shelf\/20178\/","title":{"rendered":"Just Who is the Elf on the Shelf?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Heather Taylor<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s Christmas time and along with all of the festive decorations and fun that go with the season, there\u2019s one that always comes back every night. For those of you without kids or might be wondering who or what the heck the Elf on the Shelf is, you\u2019ve come to the right place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Elf on the Shelf story was created in 2005 by Carol Aebersold and daughter Chanda Bell to commemorate their own family tradition of an elf sent from Santa who came to watch over them at Christmas time. The book tells the story of how Santa Clause needed a \u201cScout elf\u201d to check to see if boys and girls around the world were being nice or naughty. Every night he flies back to the North Pole to report back to Santa and when he returns, he hides himself in his adopted family\u2019s house for the children to find him. Children can chat to the elf but can’t touch him otherwise he will ‘disappear forever’ according to the book. The Elf on the Shelf comes in a keepsake box that features a hardbound picture book and a small scout elf and typically sells for $29.99 retail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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