CHRISTMAS is mere months away and some parents will be anticipating the return of one mischievous character – Elf on the Shelf.
The festive icon has become a beloved family tradition in many households, but the official elf doesn’t come too cheap.
Elf on the Shelf costs £19.95 on the official website[/caption]
The Elf of the Shelf set will set you back £19.95 on the website, which includes the elf, a storybook, a keepsake box and official birth certificate.
However, if you are watching the bank account ahead of this upcoming festive season, you may wish to pop to Lidl to pick up a cheaper dupe.
The supermarket is selling an ‘Elves Behavin’ Badly’ Naughty Elf for just £2.99.
From October 31, Lidl will be selling the long-legged elf in stores.
The description reads: “Featuring a soft body and vinyl face, the elves are ready to act out some funny scenes and get up to their usual mischief.”
Lidl is also selling outfits so you can customise your toy to create some funny scenes in your home.
The outfits cost £1.99 and you can pick up everything from sweaters to mermaid costumes.
The shop wrote: “When all their mischief and pranks are finished, dress them ready for bed with the teddy bear design pyjama outfit.
“Choose from a great range of fun designs.”
Elf history
The Elf on the Shelf is a Christmas tradition that began in 2005, according to CNBC.
According to the outlet, that year, Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell self-published the book titled The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition.
The book came with a special box that contained a small Scout Elf.
In an interview on The News with Shepard Smith, Bell said the tradition is like a “simple game of hide and seek.”
She continued: “The elf will watch us during the day, report to Santa at night, and in the morning before kids wake up, the elf flies back from the North Pole and lands on a different spot in the house.
“They move around the house, they engage with families, hopefully they bring lots of joy and lots of fun.”
According to The Elf on the Shelf website, Scout Elves are “Santa’s most trusted helpers who help him in homes around the world and back at the North Pole.
“Each elf wears a red-and-white suit, a pointy hat and a white collar—that’s how you know they’re an official Scout Elf!”
When does Elf on the Shelf begin?
According to the official website your Scout Elf can arrive anytime during the festive period.
Typically he or she will arrive at the start of the celebrations and return to the North Pole with Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.
Santa sends most of his Scout Elves during “Scout Elf Return Week”, which runs from November 23 to December 1.
Each morning, children will see what the cheeky elf has got up to overnight.
The elves do not come with a name, so families have the task of naming their festive friend, as the website notes.
According to the book The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition, an elf’s job comes to an end the night before Christmas.
