The Elf on the Shelf

My shelf is elf-less. 

Why?  My kids are older teens, so I think I missed the boat when this popular little fella and his book hit the store shelves (at $30 a pop - another clever, financially rewarding idea that slipped by me!)

"The Elf on the Shelf," by mother/daughter duo Carol Aebersold and Chanda Bell, made its way to me not from browsing bookstores or libraries but from my daily Facebook check. Several posts of harried mothers forgetting to relocate an elf in their home caught my eye.  The elf apparently is Santa's watchful home spy noting the behavior of children between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  By my count that is about 30 days of diligence during one of the busiest times of the year.  It's a daily "to do" that, according to many Facebook posting parents, can be easily overlooked.
 
At first blush this elf does not sound very parent friendly, but it has nonetheless emerged as an extremely popular 'new-ish' tradition.  The Shelf Elf has a ring of Tooth Fairy as parents inevitably forget to move the fella around the house. (Oh for the nights when the last words spoken between spouses were "Did you, Tooth Fairy, put a dollar under her pillow?") Remembering to turn off the tree lights and brush my teeth max out my current capacity for daily things I must not forget to do.

Still, the elf serves a noteworthy purpose in keeping anxious, overtired kids aware of their actions.  The elf is watching.  Always.  It's sort of a nanny cam for Christmas. But the twist is that the elf must move while everyone sleeps.  Sounds like it removes some sleep from the mover - Mom.

There are blogs galore regarding the shelf sitting sprite - some sweet, some downright hilarious, some crass - there's room at the table for all types of elving. 

http://www.mamacheaps.com/tag/elf-on-the-shelf

In the 'sweet' category, "Home Stories A to Z" gives ideas on mischievous things the elf can do during the night after reporting back to Santa. I am picturing the elf, on one hand, tweeting Santa the behavior update while, on the other hand, acting as a sort of poltergeist in the wee hours. (Yes, there is a Twitter handle for Elf on the Shelf: @elfontheshelf) The possibilities for elf rascality seem endless as long as the parent has energy and a memory.  http://www.homestoriesatoz.com/2011/11/elf-on-shelf-ideas-elf-on.html

http://www.twopeasinabucket.com

Another blog titled "People I Want To Punch in the Throat" is side splittingly funny in its elf treatment.  Some of the other posts are rougher, but the blog title lets readers know what they are in for: posts are light on the sweet and heavy on the sarcastic.  Jen (with no last name) dispenses disbelief for parents who go the distance with creating scenarios of elf pranks (taking all the ornaments off the tree, baking cookies at 3 AM and leaving the mess, etc.)  The often snarky humor may not be for everyone, but Jen gets her point across like, well, a punch to the throat.  I think "Jen's" anonymity raises a flag re: who is behind the blog, but it is funny just the same.
http://peopleiwanttopunchinthethroat.blogspot.com/2011/12/over-achieving-elf-on-shelf-mommies.html

www.orientaltrading.com

I think if my kids were small I would be a moderate elf sitting supporter. I recall elaborating on a pre-school project my daughters brought home one year. It was a chain of 24 red and green construction paper links, making it a very, very simple, yet clever, Christmas countdown for little ones. Each day, they removed a link setting their toddler sense of time closer and closer to December 25. I tampered with the ingenious project in subsequent years, writing something for each girl to do on each link, to give it more meaning. I ignored my inner Thoreau. It was a struggle concocting different suggestions for both children (that's 48 'unique' ideas!) Thoreau chuckled and I eventually relented, albeit stubbornly, as the girls got older.

Parents eventually have to wrestle with questions about the elf's "realness" as they are heaped on the stockpile with Santa and the Tooth Fairy.  Alas, no good deed goes unpunished. I think it's worth the effort.

Christa Pitts with authors Carol Aebersold and Chanda Bell. Ms. Pitts
is co-CEO of CCA and B and Ms. Aeberold's daughter.

It is noteworthy that the authors, both former teachers, first published "The Elf on the Shelf" in 2005  by forming their own publishing company, CCA and B, LLC.  According to the 12/9/11 article titled "How I Became a Best-Selling Author" in the Wall Street Journal, "Self publishing is upending the book industry" as authors with a fistful of rejections use their savvy and strategic pricing to invest in their work.  Darcie Chan, author of "The Mill River Recluse," used a nuts and bolts approach to digital publishing that resulted in her work "attracting bids form foreign imprints, movie studios and audio-book publishers, without selling a single copy in print."  The ebook explosion has brought self-publishing into a small but intense light of recognition, bypassing traditional steps to a book deal.  Notes the WSJ article, "Ms. Chan bought some ads on Web sites targeting e-book readers, paid for a review from Kirkus Reviews, and strategically priced her book at 99 cents to encourage readers to try it."

Ms. Bell and Aerbsold's company web-site goes a step further to support 'innovative and family focused products' offering guidelines on how to submit work for publishing.  They straddle the worlds of striving authors and publishing companies using their recent success as concrete guideposts.    http://www.ccaandb.com/submis_strt.php

The Elf on the Shelf seems like a sort of guardian angel who tattles. I'm for ideas that help parents raise kids to think about their actions. How about something more tech-savvy  that removes the parental 'to do" - like an elf-cam?  George Orwell would love it. Thoreau? Not so much.  

Of course, there's an app for that.  http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/beyond-the-shelf-where-to/id484472828?ls=1&mt=8