Mom Hides 'Elf on the Shelf' in Oven — and It Ends in Disaster

A Texas mom landed herself on the naughty list a few years ago after her attempt to bring the spirit of Christmas into her home ended in disaster. Brittany Mease, a single mom and veteran, accidentally sent Elf on the Shelf Elfis into temperatures far too hot for someone used to the frigid temperatures of the North Pole when she tossed the toy into the oven when her children weren't looking.

"Mom of the year award goes to yours truly," Mease quipped on Facebook as she recounted the disastrous Christmas tradition. Admitting that she "can't stand doing Elf," Mease said she "sucks it up every year and do it to see those precious smiles on my beautiful children's faces." Hoping to escape the pain of the Elf on the Shelf for a few days during the Christmas season of 2017, Elfis arrived at her house with a broken leg after tripping on toys that her kids had left out. He needed 14 days of "strict bedrest" before he could start his forays of appearing in a new place each day, but after Mease's kids pointed out that it had been more than 14 days since Elfis had moved, a panicked Mease grabbed him while her kids weren't looking and tossed him into the oven.

"I seriously forgot I put the freaking elf in the freaking oven," Mease shared. "I preheated the oven and started cleaning the kitchen. About 4 minutes later I started to smell something REALLY funky and that's when all hell broke loose and I broke my son's heart. In mid conversation with Brittany I yelled "F-!!! THE ELF! THE F-ING ELF IS IN THE OVEN'"

Although Mease managed to rescue Elfis from the oven as quickly as possible, Santa's little helper still suffered some major injuries, including melted feet, shriveled limbs, and a head that popped off due to the heat. Thankfully, Santa was able to work his Christmas magic, whisking Elfis to the North Pole to recover. After a short stay with his friends, Elfis returned to the Mease family, ready to continue watching over Mease's kids and reporting back to Santa.

Mease's disdain for the Christmas tradition didn't falter, but she became a bit more creative in ways to slack in Elf on the Shelf duties. When Elfis returned in 2018, he told Mease's children that he would only be able to stay for a single night, as he had enlisted in the Army and was the only Elf in his unit. In a letter to Mease's children, Elfis explained that they were "building a wall of ice blocks to keep Scrooge's people out of the North Pole" and his "mission should end right before Christmas and I will return Christmas Eve."