Elf on the Shelf has become a major holiday tradition in many homes over the years, including that of Kim Kardashian and her four kids, North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm. However, a fun tradition turned into a disaster in their household back in 2018. The family’s elf “died,” leading to some dramatic scenes at the Hulu reality TV star’s home.
The premise of Elf on the Shelf is simple โ the elves serve as spies for Santa from the North Pole, hanging out in houses to see whether kids are being naughty or nice in the lead-up to Christmas. Each day, they move to a new spot in order to keep tabs on the kids, reporting back to Santa before presents arrive on Christmas Eve. As the elves are silent watchers, they can’t be interfered with, and a child touching an elf may cause it to lose its magic or even die.
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It seems Kardashian’s son Saint, then 3 years old, forgot about this important rule, touching his elf, so his big sister, North, then 5 years old, stepped in to do what she could for the late elf. Kardashian shared on her Instagram Story at the time that after Saint touched his elf, North created a colorful grave for the creature, with the elf resting on a bed of flowers in front of a tombstone that read, “RIP” with a skull and crossbones drawn onto it.
“Saint touched his Elf on a Shelf so North just brought this in,” Kardashian wrote along with three crying-laughing emojis. The KUTWK alum continued the holiday fun on her Story when she revealed that all her family’s gifts would be wrapped in neon orange paper that year โ carrying on a tradition of each member of the Kardashian-Jenner family selecting a special paper design each year. That wrapping tradition continues into 2023, with an especially fresh take on wrapping paper from Kim.
“Wrapping gifts in our family is always such a fun family tradition to see what each family member did and their vibe for the year. Each represents us so well!,” Kardashian wrote on Instagram. “I did all white SKIMS cotton jersey t shirt fabric. I’m excited to reuse it and make other things. Kylie did a festive Santa print. Kravis a simple green cool wrapping. My mom a shiny metallic red wrapping. Kendall did a chic blue and white print with green bow. Rob wrapped everything in a festive snowman print with a white bin that has these soft ball shape. Khloe did a gorgeous monochromatic green with green ribbon.”