The Valley Fair Christmas Elves Come Home

The Return of the Valley Fair Christmas Elves

At one time they were known in the newspaper as “The Largest Animated Christmas Display in Utah.” For many families, the magical Christmas elf display at Valley Fair Mall was a beloved holiday tradition.

For more than 15 years, our history team searched for photographs of the famous display that once delighted children visiting the mall during the Christmas season. For a long time, only memories remained.

Then, several years ago, an exciting discovery was made. Jill Syme found a photograph of her brother, Jason Dunnigan, standing in front of the elf display in 1984. For the first time, we had a visual connection to the display that so many people remembered. For a while, that single photo of little Jason became our only glimpse into the magic of the Valley Fair elves.

Everything changed at the beginning of 2026.

The Larkin family, who had cared for many of the original elves for more than 40 years, decided to offer their collection to our history team. Suddenly, the very same elves that once graced Valley Fair Mall during the Christmas seasons of the 1970s through the mid-1980s could come home again.

For the first time in decades, these pieces of holiday history can now be preserved and shared with the community that remembers them best.

The return of the Valley Fair elves is more than just the acquisition of decorations. It brings back memories of childhood wonder — of families visiting the mall during the holidays, children pressing close to watch the animated figures, and the magic of Christmas in Granger.

After decades apart, the elves have finally come home.