In 1979 Shillito’s Department Store outfitted their downtown storefront with more than 130 handcrafted, animated elves across interior vignettes and exterior windows. The elves became a Cincinnati tradition until 1997, when the store (then Lazarus) moved to Fountain Square. Since then, the Shillito Elves have had a couple of homes, and in 2005, a local man bought the display at auction. After carefully restoring the elves, he now exhibits them in Mariemont in holiday vignettes helping Santa do everything from open mail, build toys in the North Pole workshop and load the sleigh.
2-8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Through Dec. 31. $4. 6940 Madisonville Road, Mariemont, thesantaworkshop.com.
