What is the Elf on the Shelf?

Each Christmas a special scout elf is sent from the North Pole to your home to watch over you and report back to Santa whether you’ve been bad or good. The scout elf watches you by day, and each night, flies back to the North Pole to report to Santa on whether you were naughty or nice. The scout elf gets its magic by being named by you and being loved by you.

There are a couple rules you must follow: 1) You cannot touch the elf or it will lose its magic and 2) the elf will not move or talk while you are awake.