Jackie Ternes and her family, and her Elf on Shelf decorations.Photo:Terri Whitley Photography; Jackie Ternes
Terri Whitley Photography; Jackie Ternes
Jackie Ternesis taking Elf on the Shelf to a whole new level — from DJ dance parties and dishwasher car washes to intricateJurassic Parksetups.
The mom of four from Cheney, Kan., first started participating in the tradition when her eldest child, now 10, was just 3 years old. To find new ideas, she browses various social media platforms for inspiration, but she also looks at what she has on hand. Most of the time, she has an idea in mind and then finds a way to bring it to life. And the reactions from her kids make all the effort worthwhile.
“They wake up every morning and pop out of bed to look around the house and see what the elves have setup,” Ternes, 31, tells PEOPLE exclusively. “It’s so cool to hear them say, ‘How did they do that?!’ Or when they find evidence of their work — tape, paper pieces, glue, etc. — they’re always in shock and say, ‘MOM, LOOK! THEY TOOK YOUR TAPE!’ "
“Seeing their reactions and excitement every morning is the definition of Christmas magic,” she adds.
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Jackie Ternes creates Jurassic Park Elf on Shelf decorations.Jackie Ternes
Jackie Ternes
Recently, thanks to her husband, Ternes began sharing some of her creations onTikTok, including one setup that’s since amassed more than 1.3 million views. For this design, she turned Elf on the Shelf into a DJ, and while she had everything on hand — from glow sticks to marshmallows — she says the hardest part was picking the right music.
In another creative setup, she staged the elf “working” at a dishwasher car wash. She had everything she needed for this one too — except for the tinsel curtain. Since posting the video of this setup onTikTok, it’s garnered more than 2.5 million views.
Jackie Ternes creates ski resort Elf on Shelf setup.Jackie Ternes
“Those two setups took 30 minutes, start to finish,” she says. “I did spend about 15 minutes printing, cutting, and putting up their car wash signs. The little details really make the setups cool, in my opinion.”
“Honestly, people would be surprised at the time it takes to set up and the cost,” she continues. “I’ve spent very little, if anything, because I have almost everything on hand, and setting up is super quick. It’s the filming and music that take the longest.”
In addition to these creations, she says the elves have also visitedJurassic Park, a ski resort and even participated in family game night.
“These setups are for my kids’ enjoyment, not for fame, so when this all blew up like it did, I was absolutely stunned,” she says. “The car wash video, I didn’t even want to post because I thought it was too lame.”
“It took me years of collecting discounted items, going the day/week after Christmas to look at what was 75-90% to hoard for the next year Elf shenanigans,” she adds. “Setups don’t have to make you broke or stressed to be cool!”
Elf on the Shelf dishwasher party.Jackie Ternes
Jackie Ternes creates Elf on Shelf game night.Jackie Ternes
She continues, “Christmas magic is what YOU make of it. That’s the whole point of all these setups and videos; not fame or likes or shares, it’s about making Christmas magical for the kids for as long as possible. No matter what your elf does, it’s still magical.”
source: people.com
