India, Dec. 24 -- As Christmas Day draws closer, families search for unique ideas to keep the Elf on the Shelf magic alive. A Christmas tradition, it involves a Scout Elf who watches over a family and reports back to Santa Claus every night.

The elf, for example, can be found in different places throughout the day. It can also be involved in a fun activity, like baking cookies or decorating the Christmas tree.

Here's how the story goes: Santa's Scout Elves fly to the North Pole each night of December to report to him if kids have been behaving (or not). The elves then fly back and hide in a new spot in the house, where the children find them the next morning. Scout Elves like hiding in sneaky spots in the house, and might even stir up m...