Elf on the Shelf delivers mayhem, merriment at Christmas
Courtesy of Meghann Mikluscak-Hewitt
Ralphie and his girlfriend Barbie enjoy a snow-angel date in the Mikluscak-Hewitt household, where the Elf on the Shelf spends his holiday season playing pranks and delighting Olivia Hewitt, 8, and her 6-year-old sister, Sadie Hewitt.
Courtesy of Sarah Mox
One year, Chippy decorated Trevor Mox鈥檚 bedroom door in balloons that fell on to the boy when he started his morning. The Elf on the Shelf is one of Mox鈥檚 favorite parts of the Christmas season.
Courtesy of Sarah Mox
Chippy the Elf on the Shelf enjoys a toasty bonfire on a chilly winter morning last year. Sarah Mox鈥檚 son Trevor delights in waking to find his elf pal doing silly things during the Christmas season.
Courtesy of Sarah Mox
Sometimes Elf on the Shelf elves are silly, and sometimes they鈥檙e sweet. Trevor Mox鈥檚 elves Chippy and Jingle, right, delivered healthy snacks one morning during last Christmas season.
Courtesy of Justin Bednik
The Bendiks鈥� elf Tootsie is a thrill seeker. Earlier this month, she was caught rock climbing in the kitchen, much to Vivian and Violet Bendik鈥檚 delight.
Courtesy of Justin Bednik
Tootsie the Elf on the Shelf zip-lines through the Bendiks鈥� kitchen during last year鈥檚 holiday season, while her Frozen friends cheer her on. Justin and Brianna Bendik enjoy watching their daughters鈥� faces light up when they find their elf friend in the middle of something silly each morning of December.
Courtesy of Dede King
Pixie the elf, right, hangs out in a ball pit while his reindeer friend Drew plays on a playground during the holiday season. Pixie and his pals enjoy playing the night away, until one of the King kids wakes and catches them in the middle of a good time.
Courtesy of Dede King
Pixie pays homage to Dede King鈥檚 favorite holiday film, 鈥淎 Christmas Story,鈥� one morning. The Elf on the Shelf has acted out other iconic movie scenes, including from 鈥淭itanic鈥� and 鈥淜ing Kong,鈥� to the delight of King, a cinephile whose eight children are named after directors and actors.
Courtesy of Dede King
Pixie and his reindeer friend Drew work off holiday cookies while their pal Penny cheers them on. The King family enjoys waking each morning to see what silly shenanigans the Elf on the Shelf and his friends are up to.
Courtesy of Dede King
The Kings鈥� Elf on the Shelf Pixie is dating Barbie, with whom he鈥檚 chopped down Christmas trees and reenacted iconic movie scenes, including this one, from 鈥淜ing Kong.鈥�
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Santa鈥檚 ever-watchful, oft-mischievous helpers have moved into local homes for the Christmas season, and kids are delighted by the arrival of their favorite Elf on the Shelf.
鈥淚 love all things Christmas, every facet of it,鈥� said Meghann Mikluscak-Hewitt, a Fayette County native who resides in Canonsburg with her husband, Kyle Hewitt, and two stepdaughters, Olivia Hewitt, 8, and Sadie Hewitt, 6. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a personal tradition of mine 鈥� to decorate for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving. I kept that tradition when I moved in with Kyle and the girls. Whenever we put the tree up, it鈥檚 the next morning that Ralphie comes.鈥�
Ralphie is the Hewitt girls鈥� magical Elf on the Shelf, a sweet, ornery creature who brings gifts, wreaks mayhem and reports children鈥檚 good and bad behavior to Santa Claus each night.
鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 do something extreme every morning. I would say probably once a week, maybe a little more than that, he鈥檒l do something that really makes a mess or something that we think is really funny,鈥� said Mikluscak-Hewitt. 鈥淟ast year, we got a tree and it had a gigantic trunk. We had a heck of a time putting it in the base. The tree fell in the middle of the night. It鈥檚 still their favorite story. (The girls will say), 鈥楧addy, do you remember how mad you were that Ralphie knocked the tree down last year?'鈥�
Elves have been part of Christmas lore for decades, but re-entered the collective imagination in 2005, after the publication of 鈥淭he Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition,鈥� by Carol Aebersold, and her daughter, Chanda Bell. The holiday fun has gained in popularity nationwide, and is a favorite tradition of kids and adults in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
鈥淪he鈥檚 always getting into something,鈥� said Justin Bendik, of Washington, whose daughters Vivian, 4, and Violet, 2, hop out of bed each morning to find their elf, Tootsie. 鈥淭he first year, she dumped the flour out on the counter and she made a snow angel in the flour. Last year, she got all the stuffed animals involved, all the Frozen stuffed animals. They were zip-lining across the kitchen. We still have the little candy bars from Halloween; she had those going up the side of the cabinet and she was rock climbing up the candy bars. (My daughters) eat it up. They鈥檙e like, 鈥業 can鈥檛 believe she did that.鈥� My 2-year-old, she鈥檚 not as vocal; she just screams and laughs. Vivian will be like, how did she get up there? They鈥檙e just in awe.鈥�
So, too, is Trevor Mox, 12, of Washington, who rolls out of bed every morning to search for his elf, Chippy. One time, Chippy sneaked into Mox鈥檚 room and painted the young boy鈥檚 toenails while he slept; another time, Chippy spent the night baking cupcakes for the kiddo to enjoy at breakfast.
Chippy apprenticed under Mox鈥檚 first elf, Jingle, a pixie elf that Mox鈥檚 mom, Sarah Mox, found at her grandmother鈥檚. When Jingle became too tattered to play pranks, he enlisted the help of young, spry Chippy to bring Christmas cheer and keep a watchful eye on Trevor and his sister Olivia, 18 months. Olivia laughs at the elf鈥檚 antics, but it鈥檚 Trevor who really delights in his holiday pal鈥檚 shenanigans, Mox said.聽
鈥淥ne night, (Chippy) covered Trevor鈥檚 door with cellophane, put balloons on his door. When he opened up his door, balloons fell on him. He鈥檚 like, when did (Chippy) do this? I was like, overnight. It鈥檚 magical,鈥� said Mox.
Mox, like Bendik, learned about Elf on the Shelf through social media, and thought it would be fun to invite an elf into her household.聽
鈥淚 thought, this might be a cute idea. Here we are, 10 years later,鈥� she laughed. 鈥淭revor absolutely loves it. Every morning, he goes and searches for Chippy. Christmas is a very special, magical time of year for us here in the house, and I just love seeing the joy on the kids鈥� faces.鈥�
It鈥檚 that excitement on her children鈥檚 faces that makes Elf on the Shelf great fun for Dede King, of Centerville Borough. The Kings鈥� elf Pixie, an original pixie elf, is a little different from other shelf elves. Pixie and his gang of elf and stuffed animal pals are only allowed to use their imagination when King鈥檚 eight children, ranging in ages 6 to 24, are on their best behavior.
鈥淚f they behave, then the elves are allowed to play,鈥� said King, adding when the kids wake up, Pixie and friends freeze mid-play, to smiles and laughs. 鈥淚 enjoy seeing their faces, especially my 6-year-old. He wakes up early so he can find the elf first.鈥�
Pixie and his pals are creative. Through the years, the ever-growing group has competed in soccer games, played Bingo, burned popcorn (accidentally!) and re-created iconic movie scenes, including from 鈥淎 Christmas Story鈥� (King鈥檚 favorite). Pixie and his girlfriend Barbie sometimes go on dates; once, the King children woke to find the pair Christmas tree shopping. Another time, Pixie held a note asking Barbie to meet him under the mistletoe.
鈥淥ne of the years, the elves had gone to Chuck E. Cheese. They had a Little People playground. Pixie was laying in a cereal bowl of gum balls; it looked like he had jumped into a ball pit. There were tickets all around,鈥� said King. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been in a train before and it鈥檚 set up to look like the Polar Express. He鈥檚 done everything, clear to laundry.鈥�
King documents Pixie鈥檚 adventures, sharing them to Facebook each morning and sending photos to those kids no longer living at home so they don鈥檛 miss out on the fun.
鈥淗e鈥檚 kind of just become part of the family,鈥� King said. 鈥淓very single year, they expect him to come, but they do worry sometimes that if for some reason they didn鈥檛 behave well, he wouldn鈥檛 be assigned to us. The day before Dec. 1, they鈥檙e very on edge about whether or not he鈥檚 going to show up.鈥�
Bendiks鈥� girls were worried their elfin friend wouldn鈥檛 find them after the family moved from South Carolina, where Bendik was stationed for the Navy, back home to Washington. The girls were amazed Tootsie found them way up north, and Bendik was delighted the elf followed the family, too.聽
鈥淭hroughout the rest of the year, they鈥檙e not excited to wake up. The best part for me, when they finally see Tootsie in the morning, when they finally find her,鈥� said Bendik, adding his wife, Brianna, also loves watching the girls discover their elf in the middle of mischief.
The other Elf on the Shelf parents agreed that waking to their friends鈥� funniness is a highlight of the Christmas season.
鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to watch them enjoy Christmas,鈥� said聽Mikluscak-Hewitt. 鈥淚t鈥檚 watching them appreciate the holiday season. I think it鈥檚 fun.鈥�
So, too, does Mox.
鈥淢y parents, they were such hard workers and they always just made Christmas special for us kids. They definitely always made sure that we had the best,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 always try to do that and just follow in their footsteps.鈥�
Having an elf in the house through the holidays is one way to pass along the spirit of the season.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an adventure, for 24 days, it鈥檚 an adventure of what the heck is going to go on in the house,鈥� laughed King. 鈥淓verything about it is the magic of Christmas. I hope when I have grandchildren, I鈥檒l have (an elf) in the house. Everything that goes along with it, it鈥檚 just everything just falls under the magic.鈥�