Deer Park Principal Poses As 'Elf On A Shelf' On School Roof

DEER PARK, NY — Deer Park elementary students were in for a surprise last week, when they saw a familiar "elf" on top of their school building.

When students at Deer Park’s John Quincy Adams Primary School on the morning of Dec. 14, they were greeted with “Elf on the Shelf” on the school roof — but most days, they call him Principal Christopher Molinelli.

“It was certainly an exciting way to start off our day,” Molinelli said.

The Elf on the Shelf tradition started back in 2005, when Carol Aebersold and her daughter, Chanda Bell, self-published the book “The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition.”

Since then, more than 22.9 million Scout Elves have been "adopted", Fox Business reported.

A household who has a special "Elf" will watch a family during the day, report to Santa at night.

Before the kids wake up, the Elf flies back from the North Pole and lands on a different spot in the home.

Many other school administrators around the county have gotten in on the holiday fun.

An Indiana principal went viral on TikTok last week for posing as an Elf on the Shelf in different locations around her school building.