How Christa Pitts Made a Family Tradition Into a Holiday Hit

Christa Pitts didn’t know a career in sales would give her the entrepreneurial foundation to run a global company beloved by families. Pitts—along with her twin sister, Chanda Bell, and their mother, Carol Aebersold—heads up The Lumistella Company, which makes The Elf on the Shelf brand of books, toys, entertainment and immersive experiences that has become a holiday tradition worldwide. Her path to success came through a career in sales. After college, her first job was at Aramark, selling uniforms to companies, which she continued to do for several smaller manufacturers before taking a friend's suggestion and trying out for a hosting gig on shopping channel QVC. She beat out more than 13,000 other candidates for the spot. “It was a shocking yet glorious moment, and a great opportunity for me to learn,” Pitts said, describing the experience as the on-the-job version of earning an MBA through the combination of retail, merchandising, entertainment and sales. She also worked with celebrities and entrepreneurs who developed products, including future Shark Tank host Lori Greiner. Then came a visit to her childhood home in Atlanta in 2005. Pitts' sister Bell noticed that her old elf, Fisbee, was sitting on a shelf, which brought back memories of the family's holiday tradition of having one of Santa's scouts come to their home each season. That inspired the idea of a Christmas-themed book. After being turned down over and over by publishers, they decided to self-publish, which is where Pitts' business experience came in. The family marketed the book at book fairs and events across the country. Today, more than 19 million scout elves and Elf Pets have been adopted, from Canada and Japan to New Zealand and South Africa. The company has also partnered with Kellogg’s since 2018 to be the official cereal of Santa's North Pole and has a giant balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. And Lumistella continues to grow, including signing a deal with Netflix to develop content, and launching live experiences nationwide. "This is our 16th year; it's been a blessing, lots of challenges," Pitts said. "But we learn more every single year, and we just continue to press on, knowing that we want to continue sharing the stories of Santa’s North Pole and answering questions for children." Big mistake Pitts was 23 when, at a corporate event, a man chatted her up about her experience at Aramark. "I was very honest in my answer, and about 45 minutes later he gets introduced as the new bigwig," she recalled. "And he says, ‘By the way, I just spoke to Christa Pitts from Atlanta, Georgia, and she says there's no good training in this company.'" Sitting amid her peers and bosses, Pitts said the atmosphere turned immediately "frigid." Lesson learned “Honesty is important, but tact and politics also have their place. And you need to know who you're talking to before you're quite as blunt," said Pitts, adding that she now shares that story with new Lumistella employees. How she got the gig “When you start out, it's not as if banks are very favorable to lending against elves and books. They didn't really get it,” Pitts recalled. To start the company, Pitts sold her house, her sister used credit cards, and their parents cashed in their 401(k). “When you're a startup, you have to be able and willing to take risks." Pro tip Entrepreneurs need to remember why they chose their business. “You have to stay focused," she cautioned. "It's too easy to try to be everything to everyone, and that's when businesses get sidetracked. Consider why you got into it in the first place and what it is you wanted to do or share."

Leadership & Talent

Turning a Family Tradition Into a Holiday Marketing Juggernaut

Christa Pitts on taking The Elf on the Shelf from a self-published book to a global IP

Kyle O’Brien

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Kyle O’Brien