Scrolling through Instagram on any given day can make you feel totally less than. Scrolling through a celebrity's Insta can make you feel even worse. Add in the celebrity's fabulously clever and supremely well-executed Elf on the Shelf setups, and it's just time to give up. It's amazing to see all of the celebrities rocking Elf on the Shelf. How do they do it? Do they have stylists who help them? Do they stay awake for hours and shop for days, dreaming up clever ideas or do they make their assistants do it?
Celebrity parents, from American Idol superstar Kelly Clarkson, to hilarious actress Busy Phillips bring their A game each year to create fantastic Elf on the Shelf scenarios hanging them from the ceiling, arranging them with their kids' other toys, hiding them in the Christmas tree, and more. But first, here's a bit of backstory if you're not familiar with this voyeuristic elf. The Elf on the Shelf came into being in 2005, as a picture book and plush doll set. The premise is that the elf is watching over the children to make sure they are behaving. Each night the elf flies back to the North Pole to report the child's behavior to Santa and then swoops back into the house, finds a new hiding spot and resumes his spy duties. It's a little white lie that seems like innocent fun to keep the kids in line during the holidays.
However, reports of severe elf-on-the-shelf-induced stress have since popped up. Parents are setting their alarms for the middle of the night, creeping out of bed to find a clever spot for the elf, only to be met with unimpressed boredom by the kiddies. Moms everywhere have taken to Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest trying to one-up each other in the elf-hiding Olympics. Just when it felt like it couldn't get any more stressful, celebrities are raising bar, showing off their elf poses, too — and they were way more elaborate than poses that us mere mortals can create.
In the spirit of the holiday (and with the full knowledge that you will probably won't achieve this kind of elf supremacy) here are a few photos from celebrities who have mastered the elf tableau.
1Sarah Michelle Geller
Sarah Michelle Geller's elves enjoy "League Night" with some of their smaller superhero friends. Seems he's got a bit of a size advantage over tiny Wonder Woman and mini Batman and Robin, but that must be why the elf is smirking.
2Busy Phillips
Busy's elves are competing on the cooking competition Chopped, complete with mini baskets of candy. Do celebrities have their own graphic designers on call to make Chopped logos, or are they just good at that, too?
3Alyssa Milano
Alyssa's elf is the piano player for the Fab 4 in their early bowl-cut years. It looks like the other elf is trying to get in on the act as the fifth Beatle.
4Melissa Joan Hart
Melissa Joan Hart's elves are remarkably acrobatic. It looks like they are on a recon mission to steal the gingerbread house ingredients.
5Behati Prinsloo Levine
Sometimes the most unexpected place to hide an elf is in the most obvious spot. Behati and her hubby, singer Adam Levine, keep it simple and go for an old-fashioned elf on the mantel look. This elf looks all innocent, but I bet while the family is sleeping he busts his Jagger-like moves.
6Bethanny Frankel
Bethanny has a stuffed elf who appears to be cavorting with her Jewish friend, the Mensch on a Bench. Notice the perfect product placement as they contemplate drinking Bethanny's signature Skinny Girl wine and sit atop boxes bearing the Skinny Girl logo. Lesson here: Treat every opportunity like a business opportunity.
7Jonathan Horton
Gymnast Jonathan Horton fears that the elf in his house may need a little help. The best part of this photo is how the house looks like a regular person's house (well, if a regular person were using ginormous cases of protein powder supplements). Check out the Goldfish cracker box and other clutter on the counter.
8Heather Dubrow
Actress and Real Housewives of Orange County star Heather Dubrow needs to outsmart her four kids when she places her elves. These were found on her daughter's sink fishing for goldfish. Perhaps Jonathan Horton lent them some from the box on his counter.
9Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling's elf will go to great lengths to hide from her five kids and the only safe place might be dangling from the light fixture.
10Kelly Clarkson
Looks like Kelly went for a "Where's Waldo" theme here. The elves can be found somewhere among the holiday clutter. It must be chilly in Kelly's house because one of the elves won't take off his coat.
Check out Romper's new video series, Romper's Doula Diaries:
Watch full episodes of Romper's Doula Diaries on Facebook Watch.
