Georgia Judge Jokingly 'Bans' Elf On The Shelf 'Tyranny' As Gift To Tired Parents

COBB COUNTY, GA — The popular, sneaky Christmas tradition known as Elf on the Shelf has been banished from creeping onto shelves across Cobb County, thanks to a mock judicial order signed by a Cobb County judge.

Cobb County Superior Court Judge Robert Leonard banned all elves from all shelves across Cobb County in a tongue-in-cheek order last week, citing "a risk to the emotional health and well being of Cobb's young children" when parents forget to find a new spot for the elf.

"Inexplicably, Elves sometimes move and don't move overnight. When these Elves do not move, it leaves our children of tender years in states of extreme emotional distress," the order reads.

Leonard called it "my gift to tired parents" in a tweet Thursday afternoon. In the order, he also cited an example from his own children when he forgot to move his family's Elf on the Shelf.

"The undersigned recalls a horrific incident in his own home where three children were sent to school in tears, with one child being labeled an 'Elf Murderer' and accused of making the elf 'lose his magic,'" Leonard said in the mock order. "The court has no doubt the day of education was lost to everyone."

Tired of living in Elf on the Shelf tyranny? Not looking forward to the Elf forgetting to move and causing your kids emotional distress? I am a public servant and will take the heat for you. My gift to tired parents.

P.S. - If you love your elf, keep your elf. No contempts. pic.twitter.com/JcqAOljbAS
— Judge Rob Leonard (@JudgeLeonard) November 4, 2021

Elf on the Shelf is a relatively new Christmas tradition, which actually started in Cobb County. The famous elf started as a book written and published in 2005 by Cobb natives Carol Aebersold and her daughter, Chanda Bell, Patch previously reported.

The two were sitting and drinking tea at what Aebersold describes as a low point in her life, when she lacked direction and hope for the future.

"I was telling (Bell) where I was in my life, which was at the very bottom — rock bottom," Aebersold said in a video on the company website. "And I was trying to put into words what I was feeling on the inside. And she said to me, 'Mom, you're such a good writer. Why don't you write a book?'"

Read more: 'Elf On The Shelf': Georgia Mother, Daughter Start Tradition

But Aebersold didn't know what to write — until her daughter found an idea.

It was days after Christmas 2004 and Bell looked up to see Fisbee, a toy elf her mom had received as a gift in the 1950s. In the 1970s, when her kids were young, Fisbee became part of a family tradition.

Aebersold would move him around the house each night, telling her children that he was making sure they were behaving, then flying back to the North Pole to report to Santa. It was a tradition Bell remembered well when she looked up and saw the elf — sitting on a shelf.

"She looked up on the shelf in my kitchen and she said, 'Mom, we should write a book about our elf tradition and share it with the world,'" Aebersold said. "That was when we started writing the book."

The kitchen-table idea has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide since it first published in 2005.

Leonard made sure he noted the order was in good fun. He said he loves the local aspect of the elf, and if you want to keep the tradition going, he has "no contempts."

P.S. - I love the elf, and our local company that has so generously supported so many local charities and done amazing things in our community.
— Judge Rob Leonard (@JudgeLeonard) November 4, 2021

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