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无毛视频檚 bedroom door in balloons that fell on to the boy when he started his morning. The Elf on the Shelf is one of Mox无毛视频檚 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无毛视频檚 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无毛视频檙e sweet. Trevor Mox无毛视频檚 elves Chippy and Jingle, right, delivered healthy snacks one morning during last Christmas season.
Courtesy of Justin Bednik
The Bendiks无毛视频� elf Tootsie is a thrill seeker. Earlier this month, she was caught rock climbing in the kitchen, much to Vivian and Violet Bendik无毛视频檚 delight.
Courtesy of Justin Bednik
Tootsie the Elf on the Shelf zip-lines through the Bendiks无毛视频� kitchen during last year无毛视频檚 holiday season, while her Frozen friends cheer her on. Justin and Brianna Bendik enjoy watching their daughters无毛视频� 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无毛视频檚 favorite holiday film, 无毛视频淎 Christmas Story,无毛视频� one morning. The Elf on the Shelf has acted out other iconic movie scenes, including from 无毛视频淭itanic无毛视频� and 无毛视频淜ing Kong,无毛视频� 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无毛视频� Elf on the Shelf Pixie is dating Barbie, with whom he无毛视频檚 chopped down Christmas trees and reenacted iconic movie scenes, including this one, from 无毛视频淜ing Kong.无毛视频�
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Santa无毛视频檚 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.
无毛视频淚 love all things Christmas, every facet of it,无毛视频� 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. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 been a personal tradition of mine 无毛视频� 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无毛视频檚 the next morning that Ralphie comes.无毛视频�
Ralphie is the Hewitt girls无毛视频� magical Elf on the Shelf, a sweet, ornery creature who brings gifts, wreaks mayhem and reports children无毛视频檚 good and bad behavior to Santa Claus each night.
无毛视频淗e doesn无毛视频檛 do something extreme every morning. I would say probably once a week, maybe a little more than that, he无毛视频檒l do something that really makes a mess or something that we think is really funny,无毛视频� said Mikluscak-Hewitt. 无毛视频淟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无毛视频檚 still their favorite story. (The girls will say), 无毛视频楧addy, do you remember how mad you were that Ralphie knocked the tree down last year?'无毛视频�
Elves have been part of Christmas lore for decades, but re-entered the collective imagination in 2005, after the publication of 无毛视频淭he Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition,无毛视频� 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.
无毛视频淪he无毛视频檚 always getting into something,无毛视频� said Justin Bendik, of Washington, whose daughters Vivian, 4, and Violet, 2, hop out of bed each morning to find their elf, Tootsie. 无毛视频淭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无毛视频檙e like, 无毛视频業 can无毛视频檛 believe she did that.无毛视频� My 2-year-old, she无毛视频檚 not as vocal; she just screams and laughs. Vivian will be like, how did she get up there? They无毛视频檙e just in awe.无毛视频�
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无毛视频檚 room and painted the young boy无毛视频檚 toenails while he slept; another time, Chippy spent the night baking cupcakes for the kiddo to enjoy at breakfast.
Chippy apprenticed under Mox无毛视频檚 first elf, Jingle, a pixie elf that Mox无毛视频檚 mom, Sarah Mox, found at her grandmother无毛视频檚. 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无毛视频檚 antics, but it无毛视频檚 Trevor who really delights in his holiday pal无毛视频檚 shenanigans, Mox said.聽
无毛视频淥ne night, (Chippy) covered Trevor无毛视频檚 door with cellophane, put balloons on his door. When he opened up his door, balloons fell on him. He无毛视频檚 like, when did (Chippy) do this? I was like, overnight. It无毛视频檚 magical,无毛视频� 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
无毛视频淚 thought, this might be a cute idea. Here we are, 10 years later,无毛视频� she laughed. 无毛视频淭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无毛视频� faces.无毛视频�
It无毛视频檚 that excitement on her children无毛视频檚 faces that makes Elf on the Shelf great fun for Dede King, of Centerville Borough. The Kings无毛视频� 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无毛视频檚 eight children, ranging in ages 6 to 24, are on their best behavior.
无毛视频淚f they behave, then the elves are allowed to play,无毛视频� said King, adding when the kids wake up, Pixie and friends freeze mid-play, to smiles and laughs. 无毛视频淚 enjoy seeing their faces, especially my 6-year-old. He wakes up early so he can find the elf first.无毛视频�
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 无毛视频淎 Christmas Story无毛视频� (King无毛视频檚 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.
无毛视频淥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,无毛视频� said King. 无毛视频淭hey无毛视频檝e been in a train before and it无毛视频檚 set up to look like the Polar Express. He无毛视频檚 done everything, clear to laundry.无毛视频�
King documents Pixie无毛视频檚 adventures, sharing them to Facebook each morning and sending photos to those kids no longer living at home so they don无毛视频檛 miss out on the fun.
无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 kind of just become part of the family,无毛视频� King said. 无毛视频淓very single year, they expect him to come, but they do worry sometimes that if for some reason they didn无毛视频檛 behave well, he wouldn无毛视频檛 be assigned to us. The day before Dec. 1, they无毛视频檙e very on edge about whether or not he无毛视频檚 going to show up.无毛视频�
Bendiks无毛视频� girls were worried their elfin friend wouldn无毛视频檛 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
无毛视频淭hroughout the rest of the year, they无毛视频檙e not excited to wake up. The best part for me, when they finally see Tootsie in the morning, when they finally find her,无毛视频� 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无毛视频� funniness is a highlight of the Christmas season.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 exciting to watch them enjoy Christmas,无毛视频� said聽Mikluscak-Hewitt. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 watching them appreciate the holiday season. I think it无毛视频檚 fun.无毛视频�
So, too, does Mox.
无毛视频淢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,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淚 always try to do that and just follow in their footsteps.无毛视频�
Having an elf in the house through the holidays is one way to pass along the spirit of the season.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 an adventure, for 24 days, it无毛视频檚 an adventure of what the heck is going to go on in the house,无毛视频� laughed King. 无毛视频淓verything about it is the magic of Christmas. I hope when I have grandchildren, I无毛视频檒l have (an elf) in the house. Everything that goes along with it, it无毛视频檚 just everything just falls under the magic.无毛视频�