DJ Dance Party! Dishwasher Car Wash! “Jurassic Park”! Mom of 4 Goes Viral for Wild Elf on the Shelf Ideas (Exclusive)

• Jackie Ternes first started participating in Elf on the Shelf when her eldest child, now 10, was just 3 years old

• To find new ideas, she browses various social media platforms for inspiration, but she also looks at what she has on hand

• Recently, thanks to her husband, Ternes began sharing some of her creations on TikTok, including one setup that’s since amassed more than 1.3 million views

• In addition to these creations, she says the elves have also visited Jurassic Park, a ski resort and even participated in family game night

Jackie Ternes is taking Elf on the Shelf to a whole new level — from DJ dance parties and dishwasher car washes to intricate Jurassic Park setups.

The mom of four from Cheney, Kan., first started participating in the tradition when her eldest child, now 10, was just 3 years old. To find new ideas, she browses various social media platforms for inspiration, but she also looks at what she has on hand. Most of the time, she has an idea in mind and then finds a way to bring it to life. And the reactions from her kids make all the effort worthwhile.

"They wake up every morning and pop out of bed to look around the house and see what the elves have setup," Ternes, 31, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "It's so cool to hear them say, 'How did they do that?!' Or when they find evidence of their work — tape, paper pieces, glue, etc. — they're always in shock and say, 'MOM, LOOK! THEY TOOK YOUR TAPE!' "

"Seeing their reactions and excitement every morning is the definition of Christmas magic," she adds.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Related: Mom of 4 Shares Daughter's $5,000 Christmas List — and Why She's Planning to Fulfill Every Wish (Exclusive)

Recently, thanks to her husband, Ternes began sharing some of her creations on TikTok, including one setup that’s since amassed more than 1.3 million views. For this design, she turned Elf on the Shelf into a DJ, and while she had everything on hand — from glow sticks to marshmallows — she says the hardest part was picking the right music.

In another creative setup, she staged the elf "working" at a dishwasher car wash. She had everything she needed for this one too — except for the tinsel curtain. Since posting the video of this setup on TikTok, it's garnered more than 2.5 million views.

"Those two setups took 30 minutes, start to finish," she says. "I did spend about 15 minutes printing, cutting, and putting up their car wash signs. The little details really make the setups cool, in my opinion."

"Honestly, people would be surprised at the time it takes to set up and the cost," she continues. "I’ve spent very little, if anything, because I have almost everything on hand, and setting up is super quick. It’s the filming and music that take the longest."

In addition to these creations, she says the elves have also visited Jurassic Park, a ski resort and even participated in family game night.

"These setups are for my kids’ enjoyment, not for fame, so when this all blew up like it did, I was absolutely stunned," she says. "The car wash video, I didn’t even want to post because I thought it was too lame."

"It took me years of collecting discounted items, going the day/week after Christmas to look at what was 75-90% to hoard for the next year Elf shenanigans," she adds. "Setups don't have to make you broke or stressed to be cool!"

But since going viral, Ternes says she’s loved reading through the comments and seeing how others are inspired by her setups.

"So many comments note, 'You win Elf on the Shelf,' 'I aspire to be this kind of mom,' and 'This is the best one yet,' " she says. "99.9% of the comments are nothing but support and awe, and I appreciate it!"

"Some of most memorable comments have been from Eggos and Great Wolf Lodge just because I never envisioned established platforms and businesses to ever see these videos let alone comment," she adds. "The funniest comments are the negative ones — 'Wow, you do too much,' 'Have fun doing something over the top every day,' 'I don’t miss these days,' 'This elf is stupid.' Some people have too much time on their hands to be salty and negative, but it’s given us several good laughs."

She continues, "Christmas magic is what YOU make of it. That's the whole point of all these setups and videos; not fame or likes or shares, it's about making Christmas magical for the kids for as long as possible. No matter what your elf does, it's still magical."

Read the original article on People