Now that Christmas time is upon us, parents are taking to social media to share their past fails. Specifically, they are sharing their Elf on the Shelf related fails.

For those who are not aware, Elf on the Shelf is a common household tradition, where children are able to track down the elves that have been sent by Santa Claus to keep an eye on them.

Photo: Pixabay/Jill Wellington

The idea is that the elves come down from the North Pole to gather the necessary information and report back to the big boss. Of course, these elves are no stranger to mischief themselves. However, they start their trouble in the middle of the night. This is the perfect time for antics. As everyone who knows these elves is already aware of, they do not move around during the daytime.

Parents are tasked with hiding them in different spots each night to surprise their children each day. This leads to a number of different brainstorming sessions, as parents look to come up with new ways to shock the little ones.

Photo: flickr/Mark Baylor

We have all seen the posts where these plans come to fruition and get lots of laughs on social media. There is another side that we rarely see, though.

Some of these parents have epic fails. When things do not go according to plan, these parents are able to laugh at themselves.

For exmaple, one parent decided to hang the elf from a chanedleier and the results are a must see. She took to social media to warn other parents. As it turns out, the poor little guy ended up getting burned. At least this mother had a good sense of humor about the whole thing:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXKXfHVuSIR/

“Note to self (and all other Elf on a Shelf parents): Do not place your elf on a chandelier, even if it’s one that rarely gets used… someone will inevitably decide to turn and leave the lights on. Excuse me now while I figure out poses that will conceal his abdominal area until the replacement elf comes,” she continued.

She’s not the only one with a major fail, either. Another parent shared a photo of her elf in shreds, after their new puppy got a hold of it:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CW_Y77jrkcU/

She wasn’t the only one who had an Elf on the Shelf fail thanks to a dog. Another parent shared their disdain after discovering their pup had “went to town” with the elf, leaving a large hole in its forehead:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CW8LKS1PnsI/

This one should go without saying, but as one parent demonstrated, it’s crucial to avoid putting an elf in the oven. It’s too easy to forget and start baking, or have soemone who doesn’t know turn the oven on!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CJEnm5oBQSX/

Do you have any Elf on the Shelf fials? Let us know!