Melbourne families embrace Elf on the Shelf tradition

IT’S the Christmas phenomenon taking over the globe, but if you don’t have young kids you’ve probably never heard of it. So, what’s the deal with the cheeky elf who spies on families?

Jess Lee and her kids Max, 7, and Zoe, 5, love their Elf on the Shelf in Clayton Sth. Picture: Susan Windmiller

THIS week families across Melbourne will receive a special visitor from the North Pole.

No, Santa hasn’t come early. Elf on the Shelf is coming to town.

It’s the Christmas phenomenon that has been taking the world by storm, but if you haven’t got young children, chances are you’ve never heard of it.

In 2005 a mother and daughter in the US, Carol Aebersold and Chanda Bell, decided to self publish a book about their family tradition- an elf who visits each December and keeps an eye on the kids, reporting back on whether they’ve been naughty or nice to the big guy in the red suit.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Does an elf visit your family in December? Tell us below what he gets up to at your house.

It has hit the bestsellers charts in the US and in Australia parents have been scrambling to order Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition, which retails for $45 to $70 and comes with a boy or girl elf with dark or light skin.

Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition book and elf set.

The story explains this elf is no toy and isn’t to be played with. It’s a real elf sent by Father Christmas. If kids touch their elf, it will loose its magical powers.

The elf arrives for the first time on the morning on December 1 and each night until Christmas it flies back to Santa to report back on whether the children of the family have been naughty or nice.

Each morning the elf returns to keep watch and has picked a new spying spot.

This is where the fun really starts and things get creative.

Quick searches on Instagram and Pinterest reveal thousands of photos of the cheeky places kids have found their elves hiding.

They include leaving messages on the bathroom mirror with shaving cream, dressing up in costumes, dying the milk green, decorating family photos with whiteboard markers, bathing in marshmallows and baking elf-sized pancakes or pizzas- to name just a few.

Social media has worked its magic, spreading the craze from mum to mum around the world.

But not everyone loves the little elves.

Kealba’s Matkovic family woke to find their elves having fun on the bannister.

Elf on the Shelf has been criticised for teaching children to accept a surveillance culture, for putting pressure on parents to keep up with the elves’ increasingly elaborate and crazy antics and for making kids think the only reason not to misbehave is for a reward from Santa.

And some people just find a the idea of a spying elf a bit creepy.

Clayton South mum Jess Lee bought the Elf on the Shelf set about four years ago and said her family loved it and had a lot of fun with it.

“I didn’t know anyone else who had one, it’s getting more popular as the years go on,” Ms Lee said.

“The first year I posted the photos on Facebook everyday and my friends were asking, ‘What will the elf do tomorrow’?

“The next year heaps of friends bought the book, then last year there were Facebook groups of people selling elf clothes.

“It got very popular.”

Her kids Max, 7, and Zoe, 5, get up early each day of December to see what ‘Elfie’ has been doing while they were asleep.

“When Miley Cyrus’ song Wrecking Ball came out, Elfie arrived swinging on a wrecking ball,” Ms Lee said.

“Another time he was with Barbie and they’d taken selfies together on the iPad.”

Kealba mum Natalie Matkovic said her kids were just as excited about their elves Lucky and Jewel arriving as they were about Christmas.

“It used to be excitement about Christmas Day and presents, now it’s a whole month of excitement,” Ms Matkovic said.

The Lee family’s Elf on the Shelf takes a selfie with Barbie.

The tradition started in her family in 2012 when the craze was just taking off. Now she said all her friends have elves for their kids.

“It’s definitely still growing in popularity, I’ve noticed cheaper versions coming out, you can get ripoffs from China now,” Ms Matkovic said.

“There’s a lot more businesses selling things related to Elf on the Shelf, like costumes and stickers.”

Kealba's Natalie and Hrvoje Matkovic with their children, Isabella, 7, and Jakob, 5, who love their Elf on the Shelf elves Lucky and Jewel.

Highlights for her children Isabella, 7, and Jakob, 5, have included their elf wrapping the Christmas tree in toilet paper and taking selfies with the cat.

But do the kids really behave better when Santa’s little spy is watching?
“It’s definitely the best behaved month of the year,” Ms Matkovic said.

The elves will be busy until Christmas Eve when they will all return to the North Pole with Santa.

Unfortunately they’ll take their magical ability to tame children along with them.