HE’S the cheeky Santa’s little helper that’s keeping the kids at Tamworth resident Christine Brown’s house on their toes.

His name is Eddie. He could pop up anywhere, at any time, and is Santa’s eyes and ears in the lead-up to Christmas.

Eddie is part of the Elf on a Shelf phenomenon sweeping the city and has been captivating the imagination of Ms Brown’s children – Poppie, 9, Harry, 7 and little Jack, 5 – since last Christmas.

While they might be tiny, the power of these little characters is said to pack a real punch in the “naughty or nice” stakes, with elves like Eddie ordered to report back to Santa each day on what the tiny tots in their families are up to.

“He listens to what the kids do and don’t do and reports back to Santa every night,” Ms Brown told The Leader.

“He comes back overnight and we have to find him again in the morning.

“It’s great, because the kids eat their dinner and go to bed on time because they know he’s watching and listening.

“He can even watch and listen to them at school, even though he’s not there.”

Like his other Elf on a Shelf counterparts, Eddie appears in a new spot around the house each day but is always found in the mailbox when he kicks off his duties on November 30 each year.

Eddie has been found in a lamp shade, the washing machine and a wine rack, of all places – and he mustn’t be touched at all.

Ms Brown, however, says Eddie gave her special permission for The Leader’s photo shoot yesterday.

Leader readers have also caught on to the Elf on a Shelf craze and were keen to share the scoop on the adventures of their new family members.

The popular children’s toy also comes with a storybook about the elf and the do’s and don’ts of elf ownership.

Let us know what your Elf on a Shelf has been up to this Christmas.