If you are struggling to persuade the kids to behave for Santa this Christmas , then you will probably be looking out for a helping hand.

Elf on the Shelf to the rescue.

Families across the country and beyond have been welcoming Santa's little helper into their homes this festive period.

The elves are Santa's eyes and ears in the run up to Christmas, as Santa is busy finalising all of the presents to give out on Christmas Eve.

But I know what you are thinking, what is an Elf on the Shelf?

Where has Elf on the Shelf come from?

The Christmas tradition has come over from America. Author Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell wrote the book, The Elf on the Shelf, which tells a story of how Santa gets his information about who is naughty and who is nice.

He sends his "Scout Elves" into homes to watch over the children to check if they should be on his naughty list or his nice list.

The Elf on the Shelf takes a starring role in the 2014 New York's 2014 Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Unfortunately, the elves cannot stay forever, and the book ends with the elves heading back to the North Pole.

This tradition has caught on here in the UK, where Father Christmas sends in an elf toy to check the children are behaving in the run up to the big day.

But with so much to think about around Christmas, parents may be running out of ideas with what to do with Santa's little helper.

Elf on the Shelf ideas

The elves are supposed to move around the house each night, but if you need some extra ideas to see you though until Christmas, well this little elf seems to have his job sorted.

#BuddytheElf has been sharing his favourite spots on Twitter:

But even the elves need a rest sometimes:

And it's not just #BuddytheElf, the festive little creatures are everywhere:

Still stuck for ideas?

  • Why not let your elf decorate the Christmas tree?
  • Let your elf bake some Christmas cookies. An activity to get the children involved with too.
  • Let your elf lend you a helping hand with wrapping all of those Christmas presents.
  • Everyone loves a Christmas film, your elf can snuggle down under a blanket in front of the TV.
  • Get the party started and put on some music so your elf can dance around to some Christmas classics.
  • And for Christmas Eve, just before your little helper heads back to the North Pole, they could help you set out a bite to eat and a tipple for Father Christmas. Oh, and of course, do not forget the carrot for Rudolph.

Send us your videos and pictures

We would love to see your Christmas house elves and what they are getting up to in the run up to Christmas.

So please share your videos and pictures with us.

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