Derbyshire pub owner creates very own Elf on a Shelf this Christmas

Last year, Ian and Chelsea Butler came up with the idea to create their own version of Elf on the Shelf, but with the twist of their daughter, Reign, taking centre stage as ‘Bubbles’ the Elf.

And now, Bubbles the Elf, is back and has been getting up to all sorts of antics in the run up to Christmas.

Ian, Reign's dad, said: “We started last year when she was only a few months old.

“It was my wife, Chelsea, who came up with the idea, and me being a big kid, I went along with it.

“We shared our posts across Instagram and Facebook and we had such a good response that we've been asked to do it again.

“This year has been a little more difficult as she is now 15 months old and has her own personality, but she's not failed to impress her fans.

“We own a pub in Pinxton called the Hop In and everyone in there calls her Bubbles too.

“We’re always happy to share a bit of festive cheer.”

Elf on the Shelf has surged in popularity in recent years, and originated with a children's book in 2005.

It is based around a book about Santa Claus’ ‘scout elves’ appearing on December 1, to check whether children are behaving, watching what happens throughout the day and reporting back to Santa each night.

The elves usually return from the North Pole and hide or play tricks on the children ready for them to find the next morning.

Parents now face the pressure of coming up with new and inventive ideas every evening to help keep the magic alive.

Reign’s exploits so far this month include giving her dad a hair cut, ziplining down the stairs, starting a ‘lemonade’ stand and putting the traditional Elf on the Shelf in the washing machine.

Bubbles will be sticking around until December 24, so there is still plenty of time for her to get into mischief and mayhem.