I've been doing the Elf on the Shelf pranks for my son for years, and he's always known it's me. I don't even use the trademark Elf — I have a little gnome that works just as well. I enjoy it more ...

A few years ago, Kurt Neesley of Redondo Beach, California, was brainstorming where to put his family’s Elf on the Shelf for his three kids to find the next morning. Celebs like George Clooney, Connie ...