The Elf on the Shelf trend has taken the Christmas season by storm. Some celebrity parents such as Busy Philipps have concocted elaborate scenes, while others including Vanessa Lachey and Behati Prinsloo prefer to keep it simple.
The holiday tradition stems from the idea that Santa Claus sends his elves to children’s homes during the day to scout and report back to him about their behavior. The next day, the elf assumes a new position in the house.
When Philipps tried it out in 2018, the Dawson’s Creek alum created a beach scene with her daughters’ toys. Prinsloo propped her elf up against a stone wall in 2016, while Lachey placed hers on a lighting fixture in 2015.
Kourtney Kardashian, for her part, placed an elf on a pool table for her children in 2015. The following year, the Poosh founder found an old letter for her eldest son, Mason, that was written by her family’s elf. In the note, the elf asked for Mason to “be patient and kind” as he waited for “something special” from Santa.
Melissa Joan Hart has also practiced the Elf of the Shelf tradition with her children over the years. In 2018, she had three elves visit her sons Tucker, Mason and Braydon.
Two years later, the Sabrina the Teenage Witch alum put a twist on the trend by placing a cardboard cutout of Will Ferrell’s Elf character outside her home. “Our elves brought a new friend to play last night… slide for a closer 👀 #buddytheelfwhatsyourfavoritecolor,” she wrote via Instagram in December 2020.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, celebrities brought a whole new meaning to the elf on the shelf tradition with rhyming memes. Elizabeth Banks got the movement started with the help of Tom Hanks, who appeared in miniature size on her left shoulder. “I know you’ve all heard of Elf on the Shelf, but have you heard of… ” she wrote via Instagram, implying “Hanks-on-a-Banks.”
Other stars participated in the meme trend including Reese Witherspoon, who put Grease stars Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta on her shoulder and wrote, “Oh hey @elizabethbanks! I see your Hanks-on-Banks and I raise you a Grease-on-Reese.” Kerry Washington did “Perry-on-Kerry” by using Katy Perry, while Jennifer Garner did “Penn-on-Jen” using Sean Penn.
Click through the pictures to see celebs who nailed the Elf on the Shelf game.
The Elf on the Shelf trend has taken the Christmas season by storm. Some celebrity parents such as Busy Philipps have concocted elaborate scenes, while others including Vanessa Lachey and Behati Prinsloo prefer to keep it simple.
The holiday tradition stems from the idea that Santa Claus sends his elves to children’s homes during the day to scout and report back to him about their behavior. The next day, the elf assumes a new position in the house.
When Philipps tried it out in 2018, the Dawson’s Creek alum created a beach scene with her daughters’ toys. Prinsloo propped her elf up against a stone wall in 2016, while Lachey placed hers on a lighting fixture in 2015.
Kourtney Kardashian, for her part, placed an elf on a pool table for her children in 2015. The following year, the Poosh founder found an old letter for her eldest son, Mason, that was written by her family’s elf. In the note, the elf asked for Mason to “be patient and kind” as he waited for “something special” from Santa.
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Melissa Joan Hart has also practiced the Elf of the Shelf tradition with her children over the years. In 2018, she had three elves visit her sons Tucker, Mason and Braydon.
Two years later, the Sabrina the Teenage Witch alum put a twist on the trend by placing a cardboard cutout of Will Ferrell’s Elf character outside her home. “Our elves brought a new friend to play last night… slide for a closer 👀 #buddytheelfwhatsyourfavoritecolor,” she wrote via Instagram in December 2020.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, celebrities brought a whole new meaning to the elf on the shelf tradition with rhyming memes. Elizabeth Banks got the movement started with the help of Tom Hanks, who appeared in miniature size on her left shoulder. “I know you’ve all heard of Elf on the Shelf, but have you heard of… ” she wrote via Instagram, implying “Hanks-on-a-Banks.”
Other stars participated in the meme trend including Reese Witherspoon, who put Grease stars Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta on her shoulder and wrote, “Oh hey @elizabethbanks! I see your Hanks-on-Banks and I raise you a Grease-on-Reese.” Kerry Washington did “Perry-on-Kerry” by using Katy Perry, while Jennifer Garner did “Penn-on-Jen” using Sean Penn.
Click through the pictures to see celebs who nailed the Elf on the Shelf game.
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Credit: Courtesy of Halle Berry/Instagram
Halle Berry
The Catwoman star showed off her placement of the holiday tradition in December 2022. “The elves are back! Do you think they’ll be naughty or nice this year? 🤔,” she shared via Instagram.
Credit: Courtesy of Jana Kramer/Instagram
Jana Kramer
The actress showed her Elf on the Shelf playing cards in a December 2021 Instagram Story video.
Credit: Courtesy of Jenna Dewan/Instagram
Jenna Dewan
The dancer put her family’s elves on the toilet in December 2021, joking via Instagram, Stories: “I’ve officially run out of ideas.”
Credit: Courtesy of Kourtney Kardashian/Instagram
Kourtney Kardashian
The Poosh founder shared a look at her daily setup on December 14, which paid homage to her fiancé Travis Barker’s band, Blink-182. She used the various elves to stage an “Elf 182” band, which wished “Mason and Reign a happy birthday” via an accompanying sign. In a close-up photo, the elf drummer had hand-drawn facial tattoos, which seemingly represented Barker.
Credit: Courtesy of Hilaria Baldwin/Instagram
Hilaria Baldwin
The Living Clearly Method author hid an elf in her family’s Christmas tree in December 2021.
Credit: Courtesy of Kourtney Kardashian/Instagram
Kourtney Kardashian
“What do you think they were doing?” the Poosh creator asked her son Reign in a December 2021 Instagram video, showing three elves on the staircase wrapped in toilet paper.
Credit: Courtesy of Kylie Jenner/Instagram
Kylie Jenner
The pregnant Keeping Up With the Kardashians alum put her family’s elf in a fake hot air balloon for daughter Stormi in December 2021.
Credit: Courtesy of Ryan Dorsey/Instagram
Ryan Dorsey
The Justified actor shared a photo of how he practiced the elf on the shelf tradition with his son, Josey, whom he shared with Naya Rivera. “AS HE GETS THE CHAIR, DRAGS IT TO THE TREE,” he captioned the post in December 2020, noting what his child said thereafter. “‘I want to get up there so I can see him. Let me get a closer look.’”
Credit: Courtesy of Jessie James Decker/Instagram
Jessie James Decker
“The kids woke up to Elfie this morning not in the place she was last seen before and not in a new fun spot either,” the former reality star wrote via Instagram in December 2020. “She was face down on the ground. They are really taking this seriously. If they touch Elfie, they know she’s going to report it to Santa Claus.”
This led Decker’s daughter, Vivianne, to write a note to the elf, reading, “I am so sorry Elfie … that my dog does not know beter [sic]. It was my dog or my bruther [sic].”
Credit: Courtesy of Jodie Sweetin/Instagram
Jodie Sweetin
“My girls are old enough now that our elf Lulu Sarah doesn’t fly back to file reports with Santa anymore. So, the girls have taken to moving her around on their own,” the Full House alum captioned a December 2020 Instagram photo of her family’s elf smiling from the inside of a blender. “This is what I woke up to. A potential Elf Massacre.”
Credit: Courtesy of Kim Kardashian/Instagram
Kim Kardashian
The reality TV star put all four of her kids’ elves in mason jars in December 2020. “I can’t take it anymore!!!” she captioned a video on her Instagram Stories. “Our elves are in quarantine for 10 days. I keep forgetting to move them! I need a break.” In a note to her children with husband Kanye West, Kardashian wrote, “Hi North, Saint, Chi & Psalm, We are on a 10 Day Quarantine! We still have our magic and will be back to flying around in 10 days!”
Credit: Courtesy Jay Cutler/Instagram
Jay Cutler
In 2020, the retired NFL player shared his unique take on the tradition for his three children with estranged wife Kristin Cavallari. “Not my best effort but they all can’t be 10s. Solid 7.5,” he captioned the pic.
Credit: Courtesy Melissa Joan Hart/Instagram
Melissa Joan Hart
The former Clarissa Explains It All star did a fun update on the Elf on the Shelf trend in 2020 by using a cardboard cutout of Will Ferrell’s Elf character, Buddy the Elf.
Credit: Courtesy David Beckham/Instagram
David Beckham
For his Elf on the Shelf scenario, the retired athlete dug up a doll-version of his wife, Victoria Beckham. “Elf got a new BFF to work from home with,” he captioned the pic in December 2020.
Credit: Courtesy Victoria Beckham/Instagram
Victoria Beckham
The fashion designer created a COVID-19-themed version of the Elf on a Shelf in 2020.
Credit: Courtesy Ayda Field Williams/Instagram
Ayda Field and Robbie Williams
On Field’s Instagram page in 2020, she has shared the various ways that the former X Factor U.K. judges have created the Elf on the Shelf tradition for their children. She shared a COVID-19-themed update in 2020, in which two elves sat on top of a bottle of hand sanitizer. She also placed the elves on a couch, where they were seen with popcorn and a TV remote.
Credit: Courtesy Kim Kardashian/Instagram
Kim Kardashian
The reality star’s eldest daughter, North, crafted a grave for brother Saint’s scout in 2018, after the little boy put his hands on the toy. According to the Elf on the Shelf website, “Christmas magic is very fragile, and if Scout Elves are touched, they may lose their magic.”
Credit: Courtesy of Busy Philipps/Instagram
Busy Philipps
Elf on the Shelf meets the Little Mermaid! The Busy Tonight host created a beach scene in 2018 by borrowing toys from daughters Birdie and Cricket.
Credit: Courtesy of Sarah Michelle Gellar/Instagram
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Slaying the Elf on the Shelf game! The Buffy alum, who shares Rocky and Charlotte with husband Freddie Prinze Jr., had some naughty elves on her hands in 2015 when they TP’d a Christmas tree.
Credit: Courtesy of Melissa Joan Hart/Instagram
Melissa Joan Hart
The Sabrina the Teenage Witch alum has three elves named Snowflake, Snowball and Jingle for her sons Tucker, Mason and Braydon. “They’re baaaaaaacccckkk!” she captioned a 2018 Instagram, in which the elves are seen sharing a wooden chair.
Credit: Courtesy of Lily Aldridge/Instagram
Lily Aldridge
The model, who is married to Kings of Leon singer Caleb Followill, planted her elf in a Christmas tree for daughter Dixie to find.
Credit: Courtesy Tori Spelling/Instagram
Tori Spelling
In 2016, the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum shared a photo of her elf laying on top of sprinkles, which were shaped as a snow angel.
Credit: Courtesy of Kourtney Kardashian/Instagram
Kourtney Kardashian
In 2015, Mason, Penelope and Reign woke up to find their elf on a pool table.
Credit: Courtesy of Kevin Jonas/Instagram
Kevin Jonas
The Jonas Brothers singer put his elf in the driver seat of plastic pink convertible that belonged to daughter Alena in 2015.
Credit: Courtesy of Vanessa Lachey/Instagram
Vanessa Lachey
Let there be light! The Top Chef Junior host, who shares kids Camden, Brooklyn and Phoenix, with husband Nick Lachey, tucked Miles the elf into a chandelier in 2015.
Credit: Courtesy of Alyssa Milano/Instagram
Alyssa Milano
The Charmed alum and mom of Milo and Elizabella had some daredevil elves on her hands in 2016. In the setup, one scout dangled upside down from a helicopter.
Credit: Courtesy of Kelly Clarkson/Instagram
Kelly Clarkson
“Elf on the shelf is back!” the Voice coach wrote on Instagram in 2016. “River found two elves hiding in our tree! Where will they be tomorrow?”
Credit: Courtesy of Behati Prinsloo/Instagram
Behati Prinsloo
Model Prinsloo’s elf posed against a stone wall in the home she shares with husband Adam Levine in 2016. (The couple are parents of daughters Dusty and Gio.)
