While strolling passed the bins of discount candy yesterday, a glint of something shiny caught my eye. Wait, is that tinsel? I thought incredulously. Indeed it was. Retailers have a habit of moving from Halloween directly to Christmas and Hanukah, essentially bypassing Thanksgiving and jumping right into the holidays with “bling.”
The experience got me thinking: If retail stores can feature sleigh bells and snowmen in the first week of November, then by golly, so can “Bookmarks!” Only our topic this week is: the Elf. In particular, the sort that sits on a shelf and magically watches over little boys and girls to see who’s being naughty and who’s being nice.
This is the concept behind “Elf On The Shelf,” a book that has become something of a phenomenon due its clever idea and unique packaging. When I heard one of the co-authors Carol Aebersold would be appearing at Barrington Books this week, I decided to take a peek at the book — and the elf — everyone’s talking about.
The inspiration for “Elf On The Shelf” came from Aebersold’s longtime family tradition of placing an elf on a shelf in her own home during the weeks leading up to Christmas. The elf, as the story went, watched over the children's behavior throughout the day, and each night after the kids went to sleep, he flew to the North Pole and reported his “naughty or nice” findings back to the big guy — Santa. Each morning the children awoke to find the elf in a new location or vantage point.
“My children would race each other out of bed to try and be the first to spy him in his new position,” said Ms. Aebersold of her years playing the game with her family.
Ms. Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell, both teachers, designed a gift set around the concept so that other families could adopt this festive tradition as their own.
The set includes a hardcover rhyming storybook, “Elf On The Shelf: A Christmas Tradition,” co-written by Ms. Aeborsol and Ms. Bell, and illustrated by Coë Steinwart — as well as a pixie elf toy that families can use to begin their own elf tradition.
In the book, all the specifics of the “Elf On The Shelf” folklore are revealed including the rules for making the magic work. For instance, you must name your elf for the magic to begin, and though kids can speak to the elf, they can’t touch it or the spell will be broken. The book explains how the elves are actually “scouts” dispatched by Santa to watch over children by day and report back to the North Pole each night — a detail parents will no doubt find invaluable for its behavior modification potential.
It’s easy to see why “Elf On The Shelf” has taken off. It combines magic and ritual — two things kids find irresistible, particularly when it comes to Christmas. Add to that a charming storybook, a cool toy and a way to get your kids to stop arguing at the dinner table, and it’s a winner with parents too.
Besides, with all that leftover Halloween candy tempting the kids to sneak “just one more piece,” the watchful eye of an “Elf On The Shelf” could really come in handy.
(Ms. Aebersold will be reading and signing copies of “Elf On The Shelf” at Barrington Books, on County Road in Barrington, on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 11 a.m.)
Anika Denise is a children’s book author, mother of two little girls, and the host of Thursday morning story hour at Barrington Books. Bookmarks is a weekly feature on various children’s books, themes, authors and illustrators. For questions or suggestions, contact aadenise@verizon.net.
