For our Product & Profle series we talk to Piper Worthington, Head Elf at Elf Magic (photo at right).

Q.: Piper, can you tell Home and Living readers how you were first introduced to Elf Magic?

A.: "Santa’s Elves “magically” appeared in my home in 1960, bringing mischief and fun to my sister, Anita, and I. Elf ornaments were used to convey to us that Santa had sent the Elves to report on whether we were being good or bad throughout the holidays. The Elves made our beds, left us notes and we were convinced Elves were running around, making all of this happen when we weren’t looking!

"In 1991, with small children of my own, the tradition went on: the Elves left notes and often took care of the children’s chores. They, too, were convinced the Elves were acting in secret! At that point, the tradition was taken one step further as “real” Elves hid in the pantry for the kids to find, enhancing their belief in the magical—they had Elves they could hug and play with.

"The Elf antics progressed to involve nightly adventures and hide-and-seek games each morning, instilling surprise and mystery. It wasn’t too long before my children’s friends wanted Elves of their own."

Q.: Who does the creative design of the characters themselves? And can you elaborate some on the elf composition?

A.: "Santa designed the Elves, and once his team finished combing through tons of fabrics (Elves can be particular about their clothes, just like children!)—his designs were taken to a North Pole manufacturer, who mocked up a 3-D model. After much back-and-forth, Santa helped me as Head Elf, pick out the Elves for the children.

"Compositionally, besides lots of spirit, love and imagination, only Santa knows what authentic Elf Magic elves are made of!"

Q.: What is your company's mission?

A.: "By bringing whimsical, loving Elves to homes during the holidays, Elf Magic exists to make an extraordinary impact in children’s lives, reinforcing the true meaning of Christmas, family values, and helping create lasting memories that can be shared with generations to come."

Q.: The success of Elf Magic depends largely on the parents or guardians, do you have suggestions on how to utilize the dolls for their "magic"?

A.: "Following the tradition is key to ensuring a “magical” experience for families who take Elf Magic elves into their homes. First, children write a letter to Santa asking for a special Elf friend to visit. Starting on Thanksgiving Day the Elves arrive, lured by the crackers and water families leave out to welcome them—the crackers sound like crunching snow and the melted water like North Pole snowflakes! Each night, children sprinkle their Elf with North Pole Snowflakes, which bring the Elf to life for nightly adventures. This is where the surprise and mystery come in—freshly dusted with the Snowflakes, Elves have been known to toilet paper entire living rooms, take Daddy’s car out for late-night “Elf-eats” and wake up the children at 2 a.m. blaring Christmas music!

"Recognizing that not every parent or grandparent wants their Elf to be quite so mischievous, there are many Elves whose idea of fun is to eat the cream out of the center of chocolate cookies, craft gingerbread house-making party invitations and organize weekly scripture readings for the family.

"In the end, each Elf family can put as little or as much into the tradition as they want. What’s ultimately most important is the relationship the child builds with the Elf, who ends up being a child’s best friend—someone he or she can rely on in an age when it’s getting harder to encourage the innate innocence and earnest willingness of a child to believe in a special Elf from the North Pole."

Q.: Please tell us two of your favorite stories about Elves that came to visit?

A.: "The stories we hear from families that foster Elves range from the hilarious to the truly heartbreaking. One family had Elves who decided to throw a beach party in December! The Elves shed their clothes, put on tiny Elf trunks and “sailed” in a plastic bowl over blue food-colored bath water. On the sides of bathtub were the families’ goggles, flip-flops, suntan lotion, towels and boom box! As funny as that is, this helped the parents to get their children in the bathtub next time around—the Elves had made the bathtub cool again.

"On a sadder note, we heard from a family where just before Christmas, the children’s father was tragically killed in a car accident. The mother, unsure of how to carry on, decided to move the children to a new city to give the family a fresh start. The Elf Magic tradition had been a part of their family for years, so the mother brought the Elves with them to her parent’s house at Christmas. Upon arrival, the mother sent her two children into the bathroom where two Elves “magically” appeared in the sink, with a present for each heartbroken child. The children reportedly were beside themselves with joy, the mother telling them the Elves wanted the family to spend Christmas at her parent’s house as that is where Santa would leave their gifts."