If you've got any mates with little ones you'll have noticed that since 1 December your social media feeds have been full of photos of plastic elves getting up to no good.
The Elf on the Shelf trend seems to get bigger and more elaborate every year as parents try and come up with the best ways to prank their kids via the naughty elf.
One mum's mischievous elf joke backfired massively when she drew on her little boy's face, only to find it wouldn't come off.
Ali McCullough and Elfred. Credit: Mercury Press
Advert
Ali McCullough drew on her seven-year-old son Ethan's face in felt tip while he was asleep, giving him some glasses and a curly moustache, as well as tagging him with Elf. The next day when little Ethan woke up and saw his face, Ali blamed it on Elfred - the elf.
However, when the time come to remove the ink, the pair found that it wouldn't budge. They spent an hour trying to remove it, but it wouldn't come off, so Ali was left with no choice but to send Ethan to school with the glasses and moustache still on.
This poor little guy had to go into school like this. Credit: Mercury Press
Advert
Poor Ethan, can you imagine how his day went? I bet he lashed that elf in the bin when he got home.
Eventually, the ink faded away and Ethan is back to normal.
Elfred isn't the only little bugger to take it too far, though, Instagram is littered with snaps of the elves behaving badly, because let's face it, parents are just big kids.
He's a creepy little bastard, isn't he? But ten points for creativity for these parents.
Featured Image Credit: Mercury Press/PA