Parents will know only too well how excited children get over present-giving elves during the month of December.
One mum was determined to make sure the tradition instilled care and kindness in her kids.
Sarah Greenwell, 34, from Durham, who is mum to Holly, three, and Finley, two, came up with ‘Elf For Christmas’ while on maternity leave in 2014.
This elf comes with a “magical reward kit” that can be used to promote kindness and good behaviour.
“I was looking for a tradition to start with my children and there wasn’t anything available on the market that was quite what I was looking for,” Greenwell tells The Huffington Post UK.
“I was on maternity leave and I love writing and creating magical little fun things for my children, so it evolved from there.”
After a year of designing the style of the ‘elf’ character and working with manufacturers on prototypes, Greenwell launched the product in 2015.
“Elf had to be really friendly, cute and endearing and have an element of mischief about him,” she said.
“I also spent months researching the kits and reading them to friends and my children, to make sure they were fun and engaging, while promoting kindness and rewarding good behaviour.
“It’s basically a fun, light-hearted way to bring some good old-fashioned values to an advent tradition.”
So what makes ‘Elf for Christmas’ so unique?
“We have a huge focus on good behaviour,” says Greenwell.
“The magical reward kit is unique - it has Elf-sized letters from Santa, reward charts, mini report cards, nice list certificates and thank you cards.
“The reward pack has an arrival letter from Santa, which explains that Elf is staying with you to check if you are heading for the ‘Nice List’.”
The pack contains eight mini report cards the Elf can bring out throughout December, with phrases like: ‘Good job on your behaviour. Keep it up!’.
The reward chart with stickers enables parents to praise children for things like potty training or helping them at home.
Greenwell adds: “Overall feedback from last year was that children adored the Elves and really missed them when they left, everyone is excited about them returning this year.”
For more information on ‘Elf for Christmas’, visit the website.