My Husband Was in Charge of the Elf on the Shelf & Nearly Burned Our House Down

We don't know about you, but man, sometimes we feel like we have to do all of the stuff during the holiday season. If it isn't shopping, it's wrapping, cooking, or sending out holiday cards. It is just a lot. And for all the families who got sucked into the darn Elf on the Shelf, it can be downright exhausting. Seriously, we would love it if someone jumped in for just one of these tasks.

One mom got lucky last Christmas when her husband decided to help with the elf. He helped alright — and nearly caught their entire house on fire in the process! You just have to see it to believe it.

The dad had good intentions.

We aren't sure how old the family's kids are or how many years they have had an elf, but we totally get the running out of ideas thing. Maddie, who posts on TikTok as @maddieeeee311, shared a video of her family's elf, Josh, perched up on a chandelier. He seems to be just resting, but when Maddie turns the light fixture, it is clear Josh had a catastrophic accident overnight.

Apparently, someone left the light on, and, well … Josh's face is charred as black as the coal that is going to end up in dad's stocking.

This elf thing could have been so much worse.

When we tell you Josh was injured, me mean it. His face is totally unrecognizable. Like, it's gone … the whole thing melted. Apparently, the light bulb got pretty hot, and Josh's face couldn't handle the heat. It looks like part of his felt outfit was damaged, too. This seriously could have brought the family's entire house down. Thankfully, it didn't, and we can laugh. We really don't even want to think about what could have happened.

Talk to moms about mom stuff. And make money doing it.

TikTokers were all over this video.

Viral doesn't even begin to describe it. Maddie's video, originally posted in December 2022, has 44 million views. People can't get enough of Josh … so many laughed.

Someone had a great suggestion: "First rule of elf on a shelf, buy multiple 😅."

Others were shocked. "Why is this even possible?" someone asked. "Are those self heating Wolfram bulbs still legal in your country? 😳."

"I just showed my fiancé this and he said 'that's why you gotta get LEDs' 🤣," another comment reads.

And some thought Maddie's husband was a smart Christmas cookie.

"Here you are trying to shame your husband but that man is a literal genius!" someone else exclaimed. "No more moving of that damn thing around! Good job sir!!"

It's not just Maddie.

There are plenty of other families who have had mishaps with their elves.

"My husband was in charge of the elf one time," one person shared. "He also put it too close to the light. Burnt a large hole. She is patched with a large band aide 😏."

Someone else did the same thing: "We did this and the legs melted to the light. It's a wonder our house didn't catch fire."

And another TikToker pointed out the obvious: "And this is why moms take it all on 🤦🏼‍♀️."

The family took care of Josh.

Maddie mentioned in a follow-up video that Josh was sent back to the North Pole for repairs. Thankfully, her kids weren't too traumatized, and Josh made it back, good as new.

"You did right by that elf 😂," someone laughed.

"Omgosh I'm choking laughing," another person wrote.

Maddie, thank you for sharing this hilarious video. We have our own elves, and this was a great reminder to move the darn thing before the kids notice it's in the same place. But don't worry, we are in charge, and we're going to let dad handle the wrapping this year.