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How Big Would Life-size Christmas Elves Be, Really?

Three life-size Christmas elves

Christmas is a time of wonder and magic, filled with charming traditions and festive decorations that captivate the hearts of both young and old. Among the most enchanting of these symbols—and an integral part of holiday lore—are those playful, industrious elves who are often depicted as Santa’s loyal assistants helping prepare gifts in his workshop and maintaining the North Pole’s cheerful atmosphere. But have you ever stopped to wonder just how big (or small) such life-size Christmas elves would actually be? Where did these enchanting figures come from, and how did they become so central to our Christmas traditions? And what is their actual size?

One could take a long journey through folklore, history, and the real world to try and uncover the true dimensions of these beloved holiday helpers. Here are some clues.

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How Giant Toy Soldiers Joined the Christmas Festivities

Giant nutcracker toy soldier in woodsy winter scene

Ah, that joyous time of year when we bring a flurry of festive cheer into our homes and hearts. Nothing quite beats the feeling that Christmas has arrived—as evidenced by the sparkling lights and decorations, the smell of freshly-baked treats in the kitchen, and holiday movies and music playing on infinite repeat. It truly is an enchanting experience. This festive season can be made exceptionally more magical with the apparition of giant toy soldiers as electrifying decorations in front of homes and businesses! These larger-than-life figures dominate exteriors across our public spaces to create astounding displays.

Such eye-catching decor will not only elevate your Christmas celebrations but will also help you make some precious memories together with your family. So let’s jump right in and discover how giant toy soldiers can add extra pep to your holiday festivities this year!

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The Outdoor Santa Sleigh: A Jovial Decorating Tradition

Outdoor Santa sleigh

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

— From “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” by Clement Clark Moore

Santa Claus has long represented a veritable movable feast of happiness and love. Whether known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, or Kris Kringle, this legendary character appears each December, bringing gifts of all kinds and spreading the joy of the Christmas season around our beautiful planet. On the evening of every December 24, holiday celebrants in the United States and elsewhere in the world wait with anticipation for the jolly old elf to make his rounds, flying from house to house through the frigid outdoors. Santa’s sleigh—pulled by eight trusty reindeer (sometimes nine if you include Rudolph, who joined the club in 1939)—is even tracked by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) as it makes its speedy progress through the hemispheres!

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The Historical Sources of Outdoor Toy Soldiers at Christmastime

Les Ballets de Noël

Though it may seem somewhat peculiar at first glance—if not downright counterintuitive—the association of outdoor toy soldiers with Christmas is now well established in western cultures. Proof of that fact can be found in the sudden appearance of giant toy soldier decorations on front lawns and in shopping malls nationwide when the Christmas season rolls around.

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The Surprising Origin of Giant Nutcracker Christmas Decorations

Two Giant Nutcrackers guarding building entrance

When it’s time to seek out new decorations for the Christmas holiday, we might visit stores or browse online in search of those regal, festive figures, the nutcrackers. Often dressed in red, green, and gold, they stand ready to perform their duty, be it crack a bowl full of roasted chestnuts as part of a party snack or grace a holly-covered mantle near the sparkling Christmas tree. And not only are nutcrackers crafted in “snack” size, these days there are stately giant nutcrackers found in holiday displays all over, from North to South, East to West, heralding the season on snow-covered stretches or warm, sunny lawns.
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How the Giant Gingerbread Man Joined in the Joy of Christmas

Gingerbread man cookies for Christmas

How much fun is it to drive through neighborhoods during the Christmas season to check out decorations people have on exhibit in their yards? Look! There are red and green lights around the windows of this house and a bobbing, inflatable Santa near the garden. Every single tree beside the next house is adorned with large, colorful ornaments. And oh, the people who live in this house certainly know how to put on a show…they have a manger scene complete with the Holy Family and Wise Men, a row of light-up candy canes along the sidewalk, and a giant gingerbread man that smiles and holds his arms out to passersby. How cheerful! We should wave back!

And that got us to thinking: how in the world did something like gingerbread—and giant gingerbread men in particular—become associated with Christmas? They certainly aren’t mentioned in the New Testament recounting of the first Nativity!

Interesting story….

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The Origins of Santa’s Sleigh and Reindeer

Santa Claus with Sleigh and Reindeer

’Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

Without a doubt the most popular Christian holiday in the west is Christmas; and this poem by Clement C. Moore, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” is surely one of the most recognizable and beloved. The description of Santa Claus flying through the air on a sleigh drawn by eight reindeer is both fantastic and unforgettable.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave a luster of midday to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

Clement Moore: The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
A page from the 1948 Artists and Writers Guild edition of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”

But whence came such other-worldly imagery?

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Why Do We Visit Santa?

Santa chair

A Guide to Christmas Traditions Around the World

Christmas traditions are a funny concept. We are taught from the moment that we celebrate our first holiday season to participate in countless amusing, yet outlandish customs. Even odder is the fact that it rarely  dawns on us to question our participation. Speaking for myself, I never second guessed sitting on Santa’s lap and sharing my cherished wish list or posing for a photo with the elves in a Santa chair. It’s inevitable that country to country holiday customs differ drastically, however one thing is for certain: The origins of these traditions can get lost in translation.

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Before He Was Santa, Was He Sinterklaas?

santa sleigh

Dutch Influences in the Story of Santa

It is believed that Santa is a derivative of the Dutch name for Saint Nicholas, which is Sinterklaas. Sinterklaas was described as a serious-looking older man with a long white beard, who wears a red cape, rides a white horse and carries a large red book filled with names of children who have been naughty or nice. Sinterklaas was said to travel with an apprentice called Piet.

Before the Book of Naughty and Nice

Santa’s helpers either listened at the chimney or on rooftops. Then Santa’s helper would report back to Santa the goings on in the homes. With this information Santa would decide who was worthy of a reward. In some stories, it was his helper Piet, in other stories it was two ravens named Huginn and Muninn, who listened on Santa’s behalf. When the focus shifted to children is unknown, but it is possible that when the fable of Santa was Christianized, it may have been in that time. Eventually, instead of Santa’s helpers listening for Santa, it was inferred that Santa, simply knew if a child was naughty or nice and Santa kept track of it in his large red book. Continue reading “Before He Was Santa, Was He Sinterklaas?”

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Art of the Nativity

Duomo of Florence Italy at night

Guest Blog by Frank Weaver

The long, dark, cold nights of December are immeasurably warmed and brightened by the Christmas decorations that mark the holiday season: colored lights, tree ornaments, elaborate wreaths—and not least of all, the indoor and outdoor Nativity scenes that homeowners, churches, and municipalities display to remind us of the meaning of that season. But what inspired this tradition?

On a recent trip to Italy I wanted, of course, to immerse myself in the natural, cultural, artistic, and day-to-day charms of that country, especially in the vicinity of Florence. But I also made a particular point of seeking out the origins of the Nativity Scene tradition within the unrivaled collections of art found throughout that country.

The Nativity in Florence and Milan

I did not have to search hard.

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