I was in High School when I first became aware of the Elf on the Shelf: a little elf figure that began to appear on shelves and fireplaces around the country around Christmas time. I was obviously too old to have had it invoked on me, but I immediately found the little doll to be pretty creepy. Perfectly coifed brown hair peeked out under a pointy red hat. Two pointed ears signified that it was an elf, while a…