Are these the most original Elf on a Shelf posts of 2017?

December has arrived and so has Elf on the Shelf - the creative new craze where parents use elf dolls to tell their kids Christmas stories.

The viral trend originated in the US in 2005 but has since made the trip across the pond.

The Elf on the Shelf story was created by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell - and was based on their own personal Christmas tradition.

The story goes that Father Christmas sends out pixie elf scouts each year to visit little boys and girls across the globe and check if they have been naughty or nice.