There are many Facebook pages and websites dedicated to the escapades of thousands of Elves on the Shelf, like this one elf that captured Woody one night.

Image Credit: Facebook

KAMLOOPS – There's a relatively new holiday tradition starting to grab hold in our city–Elf on the Shelf.

I heard about it last year, but didn't really listen when my daughter's friend kept talking about her elf and how he would pop up in odd places around their house leading up to Christmas. This year more of her friends announced they had one and I was intrigued about this 'tradition' taking hold in some families, so I looked into it.

Turns out Elf on the Shelf is fairly new, it's only been around for a few years, but it has taken off like wildfire. There are crafts, a movie and books as well as a website with games and activities based on the toy.

Your child adopts an elf (meaning you buy an elf from the store), gives it a name and the elf becomes their special scout that keeps an eye on them during December and reports back to Santa. They aren't supposed to touch it, or it could lose it's magic (smart), and it can't move while you're awake.

But during the night?

The elf is notorious for getting into trouble and running amok in your home. Of those I have heard of, there are some that are apparently a bit more calm and will take the time to exchange notes with your child instead.

We agreed to start this tradition with our daughter thinking it could be a fun replacement for those chocolate Advent calendars we grew up on, but admittedly we don't put quite as much time into as other parents do. So far ours has done things like making a sad attempt at decorating our tree (you don't just throw the tinsel on Binky!), drawing silly faces on our framed photos, and playing games with the other toys.

Mom Candice Ewen admits she enjoys the whole game even more than her son Gavin and their elf Frosty has gotten into quite a bit of trouble in their Aberdeen home since being adopted earlier this year. Ewen has been sharing the many adventures of Frosty on her Facebook page, to the delight of many of her friends and family. If you do Elf on the Shelf, her photos may provide you with some inspiration for things to try and if you don't, they may just inspire you to start.

To contact a reporter for this story, email jstahn@infotelnews.ca, call (250)819-3723 or tweet @JennStahn.

News from © iNFOnews, 2013