Atlanta-based Elf on the Shelf celebrates two decades of holiday magic

Twin sisters Chanda Bell and Christa Pitts grew up with a family tradition that is now a booming business. They, along with their mother Carol Aebersold, are the creators of The Elf on the Shelf, a worldwide holiday phenomenon that has sold millions of elves worldwide, with eyepopping annual revenue. This year, the trio celebrates 20 years of bringing holiday magic to families in Atlanta and beyond. The Atlanta-based company has since expanded under the name The Lumistella Company, going far beyond the original book and elf to include a dizzying array of partnerships, licensed merchandise, animated movies, and more in a new “Santaverse” sphere. Here, co-CEO Bell dives into her family’s business.

For the uninitiated who are not in the holiday kid trenches, how did you get the idea for the Elf on the Shelf?
It was a tradition in my own home. As a little girl, my mom used to tell us that our elf was watching and listening for Santa Claus. My brother, sister, and I used to race each other out of bed to be the first one to find the elf who had come back from the North Pole and landed in a different spot. It was the most magical part of our childhood. One day, I saw the elf sitting on a shelf, and said to my mom that we should write a story about it. That was the beginning of a 20 year ride.

Photograph courtesy of The Elf on the Shelf

You’ve now expanded into world-building. What else do you offer?
We’ve learned over the last 20 years that we are the voice of Santa Claus for an entire generation of families, and they look to us for answers around everything to do with the North Pole, from how old Santa Claus is to whether he has pets. These are all questions kids have about the mythology, and nobody has been in a better position to answer them than us. We really want to capture the entire world through storytelling, whether it be our Elf pet series like Nora, our magical arctic fox, or newer properties.

We launched The Elf on the Shelf Scout Elf Squad this year on YouTube for preschoolers. We also introduced our first-ever novel, which tells the backstory of Santa Claus, called “The Rise of Nicholas the Noble.” It’s for an older audience who might have outgrown the traditional way of experiencing the North Pole. It’s like a Christmas version of “The Chronicles of Narnia.” 

The company has always been based in Atlanta. Why was that important?
We are the southern branch of the North Pole. Atlanta is a great spot for small businesses. The access to the airport is a real benefit of doing business here. Plus, Georgia is where we are from, so we have a huge support system, and the community rallies around us. Part of our growth was so organic, and a lot of that came from the heart of Atlanta and outward.

Photograph courtesy of The Elf on the Shelf

Did you ever think The Elf on the Shelf would become this big?
No, though I’m not surprised that the tradition is so beloved. We’re so proud of the work that the entire team at The Lumistella Company has done to grow it to 29 countries and hundreds of

, bringing joy and happiness to families around the world at Christmastime.

What do you say to parents who think that the Elf is stressful?
It’s like anything we do for our kids during the holidays—we as parents make the magic happen, bringing joy and our families together. That’s what the Elf does at its core. Families talk to each other and have joyful moments because of the Elf, and that’s why it resonated. No one is forcing anyone to adopt an Elf, but the reason it’s now in the cultural zeitgeist is that millions of families have done so.

People stop me now, 20 years later, saying that we made their childhood, and now they’re doing it as parents. I think most of the people who are naysayers haven’t experienced the magic or are putting pressure on themselves. The story says it can be a very simple tradition: the Elf comes at holiday time, he watches during the day, he reports back to Santa, and in the morning, he’s found a new spot. That’s really as complicated as it has to be. Our Elf only ever played hide and seek. Give yourself grace during the holidays, and do what works for your family.

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