Beloved Christmas tradition, Elf on the Shelf, turns 20

(CNN) - Even though Santa Claus can see you when you’re sleeping and knows when you’re awake, he still needs help from his elves.

Elf on the Shelf was created 20 years ago, and since then, more than 31 million scout elves, elf pets, and elf mates have been sold, according to the Lumistella Company.

Needless to say, it’s become a Christmas tradition for many children and parents.

“For hundreds of years, it’s been a big secret,” Diana Zito said.

This Christmas, Zito and her family have a new tradition. It’s their first year with an Elf on the Shelf in their house.

“It now can be shared if you promise to keep it,” Zito said.

Their Elf on the Shelf’s name is Doodles.

“My mom thought of it, and she thought it would be a good name,” her son, Luca Zito, said.

The Zitos welcomed Doodles into their home after being inspired by the elves in their son’s school. The elves are set up in different scenarios daily to help Santa monitor who’s being naughty and who’s being nice.

“One of his friends actually said, ‘Well, I just thought everyone had an elf.’ And so we’re a little bit peer pressured into it, but I think that’s just it’s a testament. It just speaks to how much of a Christmas tradition it has become,” Zito said.

Twenty years ago, in Marietta, Georgia, Chanda Bell, co-founder and co-CEO of Lumistella Company, created a new tradition with her family. The tradition, Elf on the Shelf, has since cemented itself into Christmas lore.

“I was sitting with my mom having tea one day, and I looked up and I saw our elf that we grew up with sitting on a shelf. And I said, ‘Mom, we should write a story about our elf,’” Bell said.

That idea led them into the “Santaverse,” creating stories of Santa’s North Pole for books, animated series, and games.

Their impact can be seen through the troves of letters children mail in during Christmas.

“Some of them are letters to kids from Santa Claus, some of them are from schools,” Bell said. “This one asked us to please don’t cancel Christmas. But it says you bring joy to our world, right, and so I can’t imagine anything more special than that.”

In the decades ahead, Bell hopes to bring more joy to families through their stories, without losing sight of the original magic that helped them win the hearts of many.

“We take that with a lot of responsibility. We understand that we’re the voice of Santa Claus for an entire generation of families,” Bell said.

In the end, there’s no greater joy for a parent than seeing their children happy on Christmas.

“When they come running in our room and say we found the elf, Doodles is here, Doodles is there,” Zito said. “They’ve just really enjoyed it and I think it definitely will become a tradition in our house. We’ll have Doodles back next year and beyond.”