The Elf on the Shelf is a Christmas tradition that makes kids want to be on their best behavior during the month of December.

The Elf on the Shelf is a doll that shows up every year during the month of December to excite children every morning when they wake up. Most parents like to do this in order to entertain their kids and to get a kick out of it themselves.

Every night, once children fall asleep, “Santa” gives the elf “magic powers” to fly to him to report how the child acted that day. Once the elf reports all of the interesting things the children did that day, it flies back to the child’s home.

Later that night or early the next morning, the parent will have something creative in mind on where to move the elf.  This can include hanging the elf onto a candy cane attached to a string, to make it look like it’s zip lining or playing card games with its friends (barbies or dinosaurs), etc.

If the children misbehaved that day, the elf will lose its “magic” and will not move the next day. On the next night, the elf will observe closely to see if their actions become better than yesterday in hopes of giving Santa a better report than the day before. 

In some homes, the elf moves every day because children are always on their best behavior and have learned a few times that the elf does not move if the behavior is bad.

Playing along with the Elf on the Shelf story is something many parents cherish and enjoy.