The best Elf on the Shelf displays

Sarah Bullington's elf sent the University of Georgia to the Rose Bowl, ensuring a W over Auburn.

Credit: Jennifer Brett

Credit: Jennifer Brett

Sarah Bullington's elf sent the University of Georgia to the Rose Bowl, ensuring a W over Auburn.

More than a month before Christmas, guess what item topped the eBay trending list? Elf on the Shelf , of course. The brainchild of Carol Aebersold and her daughters Chanda Bell and Christa Pitts, this ingenious and charming holiday tradition starts the day after Thanksgiving, when the Elf (given a unique name by each child as he or she sees fit) begins a month of surveillance.

Folks have gotten super creative this year. (Marietta resident Sarah Bullington's elf sent UGA to the Rose Bowl with its antics ahead of the SEC championship).

Here are some of our other favorite elf displays.

MORE: Steal these brilliant Elf on the Shelf ideas

This elf is putting speeders on notice:

This safety-minded elf reminds everyone to check the batteries in those smoke detectors:

St. Louis Cardinals' third baseman Jedd Gyorko's elf is ready to play ball:

This young Oakland Raiders fan has an elf ready to cheer with him:

You'd better watch out for this elf ..

This elf is not playing around:

This elf needs its own Elf on the Shelf to monitor its behavior!

Send help for this elf!