3 how our family O F THE a phenomenon BEST...
self-publishing route.
It was crazy gambling so much on an elf, but I just knew it was the right thing to do.
We had no money, and we didn’t even know anyone with money. We maxed out our credit cards and my parents tapped into their retirement savings to set up our own publishing business.
My twin sister Christa was involved by this point too, and she sold her house in Pennsylvania and moved back home with my parents so she could put the proceeds into the business.
It was a huge leap of faith for our whole family – there was no way, on our meagre salaries, we could pay back the debts we racked up to produce our first 5,000 copies.
Slowly but surely, the
Elf On The Shelf boxset, which contained the book and a small elf, began to sell, mainly at school fairs and gift shows.
For three years, none of us took a salary.
STAR POWER
THEN, one day, completely out of the blue, my sister called me up with news that would change all of our lives.
Hollywood star Jennifer Garner had been photographed walking down the streets of New York with a copy of Elf On The Shelf in her hand.
Honestly, it couldn’t have worked out any better if we’d tried – even the way she was holding it seemed to show the cover perfectly to the paparazzi.
I have no idea where she got a copy, and I’ve never had the chance to thank her, but if I ever meet her, believe me, I will.
The phones rang off the hook and we had a sudden surge in traffic to our site, as people wanted to know all about the book. Overnight, we went from a small family business to a phenomenon.
Fourteen years later, Elf On The Shelf has sold 12 million copies in the USA , UK , Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and Mexico.
We’ve written spin-off books, made a film, and this Christmas we release a second movie, Elf Pets : Santa’s St Bernard’s Save Christmas.
I still pinch myself when I think about how our family tradition’s become a worldwide tradition, and I always smile when I see pictures of the complicated set-ups parents have put their elves in.
It’s so nice that we’ve spread so much magic around the world.
Taylor and my daughter Kendyl, now 17 and 12, love being part of the Elf On The Shelf family.
Whenever any of their new friends find out what we do, there’s a new thrill of excitement.
Looking back, I believe that nothing happened by chance – there was a reason Mum was in a bad place and there was a reason I was able to work for my dad and be there for her.
You have to have faith these bad times are meant to be, and trust your instincts about what you’re supposed to be doing with your life.
Lots of people have good ideas, but if you don’t act on them, they’ll never be more than ideas.
THE COLLECTION TOY BOX
£5, M&S