Hallmark Lacey Chabert and Fina Strazza in the 2015 Hallmark movie "A Christmas Melody"
Like millions of parents across the U.S., Hallmark Channel star Lacey Chabert and her husband, David Nehdar, have established a highly-creative “Elf on the Shelf” tradition for their daughter during the month of December. In a recent interview, the actress called it her “favorite thing ever” — but not all parents are quite as enthusiastic about it.
The relatively new phenomenon grew out of a 2004 book about an elf “scout” who watches over kids and reports back on their behavior to Santa Claus nightly. It’s up to parents to make sure the toy elf figurines, dressed in red jumpsuits and sold at retailers nationwide, are seen in a new spot of their home each morning, often partaking in a clever or silly activity.
According to a 2020 YouGovAmerica survey, 36% of parents with kids ages 10 and under say their household has an Elf on the Shelf. But of the two-thirds of families who don’t, 32% say it’s because they think the concept is “weird” or “creepy.” Meanwhile, many parents complain about the effort it takes to move the elf and come up with creative spots or scenarios daily. In 2021, a Georgia judge made national news for issuing a mock order “banishing elves on shelves in Cobb County” to provide local parents with some relief from Elf on the Shelf overwhelm.
Chabert is firmly in the camp that adores the tradition, but has revealed that even in her house, there are days when their elves — because they now have multiple — have to take a break.
Lacey Chabert Loves Coming Up With Creative Scenarios for Her Family’s Elves
In the latest episode of the Biscuits and Jam podcast — released on December 13, 2022 — Chabert detailed why she loves sharing the Elf on the Shelf tradition with her husband and their six-year-old daughter, Julia.
She said, “The thing I love about it is I get so excited and so joyful because I get to relive my childhood…through her. And then I get to see the magic of it in her. And it’s just… Oh, it’s my favorite thing.”
In 2021, the family doubled their fun — albeit accidentally.
“We couldn’t find him last year,” Chabert told host Sid Evans, who’s also editor-in-chief of Southern Living magazine. “And we were like, ‘Elfie, where did you go?’ So we asked Santa for another one, ’cause I was worried we couldn’t find Elfie. And the second we got another elf, Elfie showed back up!”
Laughing, Chabert continued, “So now we have two elves, Elfie and Lulu, and they create all kinds of messes for us and they have so much fun a couple of weeks before the holidays. And it’s my favorite thing ever.”
Rather than spend a whole month at their home, Chabert’s elves appear midway through the month — but they don’t just sit on the shelf. As evidenced in several of her Instagram posts from 2021, the elves in her Los Angeles home have been known to arrive on the scene in a lighted wagon, throw pool parties in the bathtub, and become owners of a Christmas tree farm.
On December 15, 2022, Chabert posted a photo in her Instagram Stories of LuLu, dressed in a pink tutu, riding a reindeer decoration and three little baby elves sitting by a plate of goodies.
Over the photo, Chabert wrote, “They’re back! LuLu and Elfie are back to hang out with us and this year they brought their little sisters and brothers! They surprised us with mini cinnamon rolls for breakfast”
Lacey Chabert Admits Sometimes Her Family’s Elves Need a Break
Putting together all of those creative scenarios can get tiring even for the reigning Queen of Hallmark Christmas movies. Chabert admitted to Evans that they started out the tradition with such over-the-top situations that they began to run out of ideas.
“The problem is they really went big right out of the gate,” she said. “You know, we had like, uh, a hot air balloon, they were riding in it down the stairway, all the way connected to the tree, and then they made a whole Christmas cookie factory, and then after a couple of days, our elves got really tired.”
Laughing with Evans, she said, “I think they forgot to do some stuff a few times. And I was like, ‘You know what? They’re tired. They aimed too high to start with.'”
In one of the captions on last year’s elf adventures on Instagram, in which the elves were dressed in outfits Chabert crocheted herself, she admitted that their duo had “overslept” more than once.
“To all my fellow parents out there,” she wrote, “I only post the elf highlights. Our elves have been a little tired this year and have accidentally over-slept a couple days and done nothing at all. So yes, this is an Elf highlight reel.”