Dad Makes Disastrous Mistake When Left in Charge of Elf on the Shelf

As his wife pointed out, at least it didn't start a fire.

Every December, our lives are oversaturated by the Elf on the Shelf, for better or worse. From the wholesome reactions of the children they keep a watchful eye over to the surprising upset over their mischievous antics, social media becomes oversaturated with elvish content, leading to holiday inspiration and a variety of entertainment. 

But with almost a month of elf hijinks to come up with year after year, it can get frustrating trying to keep things fresh. Unfortunately, when you trade off the responsibility of staging the elf with another family member, it sometimes leads to regret. 

One TikToker named Maddie learned that the hard way when she left her husband in charge of the elf one evening, and of course, she's shared the results on the social media platform.

The video's caption, "At least it didn't start a fire ...." should tell you something before you ever even hit play. 

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The video was set to the classic "Oh No" audio, often used when something goes wrong. 

Related: Dad Goes Above and Beyond So His Daughter's Elf on the Shelf Can Watch Her Recital in Sweet TikTok

The elf appeared to be straddling the chandelier like a swing, but it wasn't the joyous scene it was meant to be as a hand crept into view and pulled the light fixture around for a better look. 

The elf's face was melted into the shape of the bulb it had been left to rest on, with the plastic burnt to a crisp wherever it had touched. 

We're sure that some elf injuries are recoverable with a touch of their holiday magic, but this doesn't seem to be one of those occasions. 

"first rule of elf on a shelf, buy multiple 😅," one commenter recommended. 

"That’s a ghost on a post now," another joked. 

"Why did I think this was part of the elf prank?" someone else wondered, and it's a fair question given how messy some parents get with their elf setups. 

"Burning the house down is the ultimate elf on the shelf naughty deed," said another. 

Did we just discover the Elf on the Shelf's end game?