Once upon a time, Christmas was about the birth of baby Jesus.

Then came Santa Claus – who started replacing scenes of the Nativity on Christmas cards. Now, we are living in the era of The Elf.

The Elf on the Shelf, originally introduced as an American children’s book accompanied by a toy, has evolved into a local Christmas icon, capturing the holiday spirit with a playful yet surveillant undertone. This growing tradition has fast gained popularity in Malta.

Each year, for the past years, the number of children talking about their elves is increasing – as is the merchandise available in stationaries and toy shops: elf dolls, accessories, clothes, books – all accompanied by social media pages and channels dedicated to sharing ideas and content about elves.

One Maltese woman joined in the fun when she set up an Instagram page dedicated to sharing the life story of her elf called Siabuzz, a playful twist for ‘an hour of fun’.

Michelle Borg Cuomo preparing a doll for her storyline.

Some years ago, Michelle Borg Cuomo wanted to do something to cheer up her niece who was living with her for some time after her mother passed away.

When Christmas time arrived and she heard about the ‘elf on the shelf’ tradition, she got one to bring some fun-injected magic into his life. This planted an idea. She decided to come up with a storyline about the elf and share it on social media.

Over the years, the story took a life of its own: the elf married a gold-digging Barbie – Shazolley-Ann – and eventually had a baby. She shared this on her Instagram page which she called Siabuzz – a tongue-in-cheek story which she still updates occasionally.

Siabuzz and Shazolley-Ann also had a child named Shalaini.

An essential part of Christmas 

Valerie Visanich, an associate professor in sociology at the University of Malta, explains that the elf represents both the commodification of Christmas and the reimagining of holiday icons within Western contemporary culture.

“The elf takes on a dual symbolic role, functioning as both a whimsical character and a surveillance tool, acting as Father Christmas’s scout… the elf’s popularity outlines the commodification of Christmas, where traditions are increasingly mediated by purchasable goods,” she says.

The elf is marketed as an essential part of contemporary children’s holiday celebrations, turning the act of creating holiday magic into a consumer-driven performance.

The elf is both a product and a cultural symbol of our consumer-driven festive season

Parents creatively engage with the tradition by orchestrating the elf’s nightly antics, combining imagination, improvisation and scripted pranks often inspired by social media trends, she says.

Visanich adds: “This participatory culture blurs the line between tradition and new manufactured experience, making the elf both a product and a cultural symbol of our consumer-driven festive season”.

The elf couple getting married.

And while some parents have fun with it, others find it stressful – adding yet another thing to the festive to-do list.One mother said she introduced the elf because her children really wanted it. 

“It’s completely kid-led. It is quite a chore. But it’s also fun.”

While some chose not to give in to the pressure, many parents agreed that having an elf around for an entire month of the year can be used to their advantage – because the elf is watching the children and their behaviour – to report back to Santa… which makes things easier for parents. So the hard work pays off.