Christmas elf facts for kids
A Christmas elf is a small helper who lives with Santa Claus at the North Pole. They usually wear green or red clothes, have big, pointy ears, and wear pointy hats. Most look like tiny people, but sometimes they are shown as furry animals with tails. Elves often make toys in Santa's workshop and help care for his reindeer.
The idea of Christmas elves first appeared in books in 1856. This was when Louisa May Alcott wrote a book called Christmas Elves, though it was not published then. Santa Claus himself is much older. He came from old stories in the early 1600s, combining ideas from St. Nicholas and other European Christmas traditions.
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The Beginning of Christmas Elves
The idea of elves comes from old stories, especially from Norse mythology. These myths talk about álfar, also known as 'hidden folk'. The Christmas elf character likely mixes these Norse legends with other tales from Scandinavia and Celtic cultures. These stories featured fairies and nature spirits. In different parts of Europe, there were similar magical beings. For example, kobolds in Germany and house spirits called brownies in Scotland. In the Middle Ages, elves were sometimes seen as tricky or even bad.
The Christmas elf first appeared in books around 1850. This was when Louisa May Alcott finished her book Christmas Elves. The image of elves working in Santa's workshop became very popular later. This happened because of a magazine called Godey's Lady's Book. Its Christmas issue in 1873 showed Santa with toys and elves on the cover. The picture had a caption about getting toys ready for Christmas. This magazine was very important in shaping Christmas traditions. It had also shown the first widely seen picture of a modern Christmas tree in 1850.
Santa Claus as an Elf
In a famous poem from 1823, A Visit from St. Nicholas, Santa Claus himself is called an elf. The poem says, "He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf." This poem is also known as 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. Before Santa Claus became popular in Sweden, a Yule goat used to deliver gifts. By 1891, Santa had joined with the Tomten. The Tomten was an elf-like or dwarf-like farm guardian. Thanks to the artist Jenny Nyström, this combined figure became known as Jultomten.
Christmas Elves in Today's World
In countries like the United States, Canada, and Great Britain, the modern story of Santa Claus includes small elves. These elves are Santa's helpers. They wear green clothes, have pointy ears, and wear pointy hats. They make all the toys in Santa's workshop at the North Pole. Today, movies often show them making high-tech toys too, like computers and video games. These elves often look like quick and delicate versions of the dwarfs from Norse mythology.
In newer movies, elves do even more jobs. They might operate police and air forces to protect the North Pole. They also help Santa when he is in trouble outside the North Pole. Sometimes, they even act as Santa's bodyguards. Elves are usually said to live for hundreds or even thousands of years. Even so, they often look like young children forever.
Elves in Movies and TV
Christmas elves have a bigger role in modern movies and television shows. In live-action films, they are played by small actors, children, or normal-sized actors made to look small using camera tricks. Sometimes, they are created using computer-generated imagery (CGI). In cartoons, they are made with traditional drawing, stop-motion animation, or computer animation. Here are some examples:
- The 1932 Disney cartoon Santa's Workshop shows Santa and his elves getting ready for Christmas.
- Santa's elves are important in the 1964 stop-motion TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. They wear colorful outfits with cone-shaped hats. Most elves are short and plump, but one is tall and thin.
- In the 1985 movie Santa Claus: The Movie, the elves are skilled craftspeople. They make traditional toys by hand and look after Santa's reindeer.
- In the 1994 movie The Santa Clause and its sequels, Santa's elves are played by children or teenagers. This is even though they are hundreds of years old.
- The 2003 comedy Elf copies the colorful elf costumes from the Rudolph special. The elves are played by normal-sized actors made to look small.
- Disney's 2009 short film, Prep & Landing, is about a special group of elves. They get houses ready for Santa's deliveries.
- The 2011 animated film Arthur Christmas also features Christmas elves.
- In the 2012 animated film Rise of the Guardians, elves are very short. They wear pointy hats and help Santa at the North Pole. However, in this movie, they don't actually make the toys. Yetis are the ones who make the toys.
- The Christmas Chronicles (2018) shows elves as small CGI creatures with their own language. They are about two feet tall, have big eyes, long pointy ears, and furry bodies with S-shaped tails. In the 2020 sequel, The Christmas Chronicles 2, some elves become "naughty elves" and try to take over Santa's workshop.
Elves in Books
Valentine D'Arcy Sheldon's children's book, The Christmas Tree Elf, tells how Santa first met his elves. It also introduces Blink the elf, who helps Santa and saves Christmas from a tree fire.
Another old story with elves and Christmas is The Elves and the Shoemaker. This fairy tale was published in 1812. In this story, a shoemaker cannot make enough shoes. Just before Christmas, several elves arrive and finish all the shoes for him.
Elves Around the World
In different European countries, Santa has different helpers. In Germany, his companions are called Knecht Ruprecht. In Luxembourg, they are known as Hoesecker.
In Nordic countries, Christmas elves are seen as nisser. They are not called elves there. They usually wear only red clothes, not the green and red outfits seen in English-speaking countries.
See also
- The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition, a popular children's book from 2005
