The Christmas elves are crafted from wood, with textiles and faux fur wrapped around them, and each is handmade. While handcrafted items can be expensive, 200,000 elves are produced annually, with 80,000 of them traveling to Japan. Handmade goods seem to hold great value among the Japanese, although their perception of an elf differs from the traditional one.

"For instance, we received an order from Japan for black elves. They feature golden felt threads but are entirely made of black felt. Recently, we had an order for Valentine's Day elves in brown. For us, this is unusual. [Our elves are] always red," said elf artisan Tiina Roosileht.

The journey of handcrafted elves began in March 2003, following in the footsteps of the former Salvo souvenir production. Elves eventually replaced chimney sweeps and chefs as the main production focus. The wood for the elves' bodies comes from Avinurme, where holes are drilled locally to accommodate their necks and limbs.

The elves' clothing is sewn from fabrics imported from the United States, Poland, Sweden and Germany.

"This is because we simply don't have fabric available in Estonia. You can only get a meter of fabric here. Since we don't have factories, we must order directly from them," explained elf artisan Monika Polma-Nikitin.

The combination of Estonian wood and imported textiles gives the elves a humorous personality, which comes directly from their creators. These elves invite playfulness – even for adults. They also serve as peacekeepers. One family dispute led to the elves being angrily knocked over. But then the question arose: what did the elves do to deserve it? The argument subsided and the elves were restored to their place.

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