The Elf On The Shelf: A Christmas Tradition Review
DISCLOSURE – THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.
Reviewed by Emma Brailsford
The Christmas period through the eyes of a child is such a special, magical time of year and any traditions incorporated into a child’s life will be remembered for a lifetime. One tradition which has appeared in more recent times has been that of the ‘elf on the shelf’ – an elf who keeps an eye on the behaviour of the children each day and then reports to Santa in the lead up to Christmas. As someone who has the pleasure of working with children every day, I have certainly seen and heard about the trend of the naughty elves’ antics each morning through the month of December, and it was a pleasure to be sent my own ‘elf on the shelf’ this year to review.
‘The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition’ by Carol V. Aebersold and Chanda A. Bell is a lovely pre-Christmas gift for children and the gift box not only contains a boy Scout ‘Elf on the Shelf’, but a hard-back story book which is tucked into the sleeve of the box. The fiction book is written in the first person as told by the elf, and it contains the introduction about the elf’s purpose of arrival in the home, as well as the ‘rules’ such as ‘no touching the elf’ etc! I thought the story book was a really gentle way to explain the rules to young children – much nicer than a list of commands which immediately make the child want to play with the elf! The story also touches upon the magic of Christmas and explains it is not just positive behaviour which will be reported back to Santa, but also acts of kindness which I thought was encouraging for children.
The ’Elf on the Shelf’ that I received was a boy Scout Elf with blue eyes. He is dressed in red, felt clothes with a white trim. His face is hard but his body and limbs are soft allowing you to contort the elf into a range of positions depending on his adventures of the day if you have a particularly cheeky elf! I have heard of elves decorating the bathroom with shaving foam, swinging from light fixtures and hiding in Christmas trees – a flexible elf is therefore necessary if your elf is this way inclined! When sitting on a shelf, the ‘Elf on the Shelf’s’ body to tip of his hat measures approximately 19cm and he is about 5.5cm wide.
If your child has spoken about being visited by an elf, I would recommend this particular ‘Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition’ because you get a cute-looking elf, a story book and if you go onto the internet, you can also access an ‘official adoption certificate and special message from Santa’. The fact that there is also a gift box with magnetic fastening means that when it is time for the elf to ‘leave’ the home for the next eleven months, he, and the book, can be safely stored away and protected.
Gift box measurements: 27cm x 18cm x 7cm
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £24.95
Age: from 0+ (but not recommended to be handled by babies)
This product can be purchased from Amazon here.