In fact, in the classic Christmas poem 'A Visit from St Nicholas' (more commonly known as ''Twas the Night Before Christmas'), Santa is described as a 'right jolly old elf'.
"Santa employs elves, but is not one himself. Elves are small; he is big. (But has enough magic about him to fit down chimneys despite his BMI of 30 and insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetes caused by being sponsored for a century by Coca-Cola)."
Santa's entrance into homes on Christmas Eve via the chimney was made part of American tradition through the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" where the author described him as an elf.
Elves became linked with Santa Claus in the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," better known today as "The Night Before Christmas." That poem refers to Santa Claus as a "jolly old elf." With the elf-Christmas link established, other writers began to get creative with the idea.
Santa's little helpers, or Christmas Elves, were first introduced in literature in a short story titled “Christmas Elves” by Louisa May Alcott back in 1855. Since then, many adaptations have been made as to what Santa's elves do or look like.
The original elves
The original six elves include Alabaster Snowball, Bushy Evergreen, Pepper Minstix, Shinny Upatree, Sugarplum Mary, and Wunorse Openslae (sound it out, “one horse open sleigh,” get it?), per Elfcrazy.com.
Throughout the poem, Santa is depicted as a jolly elf bringing joy with his reindeer-led sleigh to both children and adults. Thomas Nast, a Civil War-era cartoonist with the magazine Harper's Weekly, created the enduring image of Santa Claus in a series of 33 drawings published between 1863 and 1886.
Bernard Elf is Santa's Chief Elf. He pretty much oversees all the other elves at Santa's Village. Many of the elves at the North Pole call him "Big B" which, he doesn't mind; just don't call him Bernie.
Elves are very close helpers of Santa Claus, who help him with all the Christmas preparations, remind children to be good and make sure Santa Claus takes regular breaks to drink his hot chocolate.
How long do elves live? Elves typically reach maturity around the same age as humans, however their lifespan is infinite. How old are Santa's elves? Santa's elves are a variety of ages from 25 – 2025.
A 2011 children's book about the origin story of Mrs. Claus dubbed her Annalina, while in Jeff Guinn's 2006 book, The Autobiography of Santa Claus, Santa refers to his wife as Layla.
Traditionally, there are six named elves that help out Santa at his workshop.
Nicholas was born around 280 A.D. in Patara, in modern-day Turkey. Legend states that Nicholas had a giving spirit and traveled the countryside helping those less fortunate and the sick. Nicholas's parents were wealthy and left the bulk of their estate to Nicholas when they died.
Nicholas: The Real Santa Claus. The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around A.D. 280 in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey.
You asked a really good question, “Are Mom and Dad really Santa really Santa?”. We know that you want to know the answer, and we had to give it careful thought to know just what to say. The answer is no.
A Christmas elf is known to be Santa Claus' helper and live with him at the North Pole throughout the year. They can also be called Santa's helpers or Santa's magical elves.
Empowerment, Leadership, and Fun!
Here at The Incredible Christmas Place we have developed a philosophy known as E.L.F. Upon closer examination you will notice two periods surrounding the letter “L”. This punctuation designates our E.L.F acronym which stands for Empowerment, Leadership, and Fun.
In fact, Santa's elves know more than 6,000 languages. How far do elves travel? Scout Elves spend a lot of time flying every night, so they can report to Santa and return home. Fun fact: On average, Scout Elves travel 4,000 miles each night to reach their families.
How Santa Got His Magic is a 24 page fully illustrated book about a little boy named Nicholas. He snuck out one night to look at the stars and wondered upon the birth of Jesus. The following year, he remembered his birthday and gave Jesus a gift of an Evergreen Tree.
Claus almost never have children in any of their many depictions, there is at least one Christmas Burlesque musical from 1892 that features Kitty Claus, the daughter of Santa. Not surprisingly, it wasn't a classic. It looks like Santa's family tree ends with he and Mrs. Claus for now.
Krampus' Elves, also known as "Elves" and "Krampus' Helpers", are the secondary antagonists of the 2015 supernatural holiday-themed horror-comedy film Krampus. These Dark Elves are an evil version of Santa Claus's Elves. They are Krampus' minions who help him take families who have been bad on Christmas.
They need extra time to complete their important Christmas duty. If your family was away during the holidays, your elf might stay a while longer to continue scouting good behavior to report to Santa. They wanted to celebrate one more holiday together—Christmas day.
When does Elf on the Shelf come? The Elf on the Shelf website recommends your Elf arrive between November 24 through December 1. This is also known as Scout Elf Return week, a.k.a. the time when Santa's little helpers flee the North Pole and head out to the houses they'll be staying at until Christmas.