Dec 22, 2023 By Karen Mansfield 3 min read

Trinity North Elementary School Principal Dr. Sam Demian turned himself into an Elf on the Shelf this week.

Trinity North Elementary School Principal Dr. Sam Demian spreads holiday cheer by dressing up as Elf on the Shelf.

There is the Elf on the Shelf.

But at Trinity North Elementary School, there is the Elf on the Roof…and on the basketball hoop..and in the corridor.

Trinity North students arrived at school this week eager to see where their principal, Dr. Sam Demian, would appear, in his full Elf on the Shelf costume.

“The kids’ reactions were priceless. It gained momentum each day,” said Demian.

For three days, Demian popped up in unexpected places: the first day, he perched atop the backboard of a basketball hoop in the gym. On day two, he sat on beams above the school entrance corridor, and on the third day, he clambered up a ladder and positioned himself on the roof.

Demian tried to remain in character and not move or respond, but it wasn’t easy.

“I was trying to stay in form, but it was almost impossible, I could not keep a straight face,” said Demain. “(Students’) reactions were so genuine. We talk about being danger-free in school and one of our little ones said, ‘You are not being danger-free, Mr. Demian.’ It’s hard not to laugh when a second-grader is telling you that.”

Demian said a couple of school staff members approached him after they saw a social media segment about a principal who donned the Elf on the Shelf regalia to bring Christmas cheer to students.

“They said, ‘You know you’re going to have to do this,'” Demian said, laughing.

The Elf on the Shelf tradition started in 2005 when Carol Aebersold and her daughter, Chanda Bell, self-published the book “The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition,” along with a special box with a small Scout Elf inside who would keep an eye on children’s behavior leading up to Christmas and report back to Santa Claus.

Now that he has the first year under his belt, Demian plans to do the Elf on the Shelf again next year.

“Credit to all the other principals who are doing it. It wasn’t my idea but I was happy to do it,” said Demian. “We’re not doing this for any attention. You’re thinking about the kids when you do this. You do it for them.”