A Utah dad turned his four-month-old son into the most adorable real-life Elf on the Shelf we’ve ever seen!
Photographer Alan Lawrence was inspired to bring the tradition to life with his son Rockwell after he heard stories from his friends. “All of our friends do the Elf on the Shelf and I've always thought it was sort of creepy, but sort of fun — this idea of an elf coming to live in your home and moving around to different places,” the dad of five told Today.com.
“And I'm like, what if it was a real elf? And of course, being parents, we already have the cutest little four-month-old. So we decided to make a fun series.”
Lawrence’s wife made Rockwell’s adorable costume and the dad began snapping photos.
On his blog, “That Dad Blog,” Lawrence crafted a fun story about their real-life Elf on the Shelf and stated that he would be documenting the scout’s stay until Christmas.
“I’m not sure how I feel about the idea of a small stranger in red tights wandering around my home at night watching my kids,” Lawrence wrote. “I want to be positive about this but it makes me nervous. I’ve decided to allow him to stay (I don’t think I really have a choice) but I am keeping a close eye on him and have decided to document all of days he is here.”
So far, the mischievous elf has gotten into all sorts of trouble, including jamming cookies in the VCR and teepeeing the Christmas tree.
If you’re wondering how this little one manages to balance himself in these photos, Lawrence explained that he poses with his son in the pictures and edits himself out later.
Lawrence now posts photos of Rockwell as the Elf on the Shelf on his blog, Instagram and Facebook page using the hashtag #RocktheElf. Since he started this project, the dad says people’s reactions have been “overwhelmingly positive.”
As for Rockwell, he couldn’t be happier to be named the cutest Elf on the Shelf. “He’s just a good-natured kid,” his dad said. “He’ll be laughing and looking up at me, exactly what we need for the shot. It’s almost like he knows what we’re trying to accomplish.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the Elf on the Shelf come to life! Just last week, a New Brunswick dad made headlines with his creepy real-life version, and a three year old named Willow, known for her epic Halloween costumes, is back again this year with more adorable Elf on the Shelf mischief.
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