I’m the UK’s most dedicated mum to Elf on the Shelf – I’ve vandalised my hubby’s car and even shaved words into his head
Elf on the Shelf fanatic Louise Goddard has shared how you can pull off outlandish pranks without spending a penny
MOST mums dread coming up with Elf on the Shelf ideas every Christmas – but not Louise Goddard.
The 39-year-old might just be the most dedicated mum in the UK, and has even gone as far as to vandalise her husband’s car and draw on her nine-year-old son’s face while he was asleep in the name of Christmas spirit.
She has also submerged her kitchen in spaghetti, covered her toilet in chocolate spread (we’ll let you guess why) and decorated her car in festive wrapping paper.
When there’s no food involved, the creative mum has taken to shaving “ELF” into her husband Jason’s head and set up an “elf tattoo parlour” with Santa’s little helper seemingly drawing body art on toys around the house.
Louise’s son Mason, nine, is often talk of the school playground thanks to her creative ideas.
The family live in a village near Bristol, meaning news of the elf’s elaborate pranks spreads quickly and often sees other families travelling across town to get a look.
Mason named his elf Oscar when he was three-years-old, and while his parents have no idea where the moniker came from, it has stuck.
So when she decided to vandalise her partner’s car in the name of festive cheer, it was only right that Louise painted the elf’s name on the bonnet.
She also added hearts, trees and sketched “ELVES RULE” on both sides of the motor.
Louise came up with the idea on the way back from her staff Christmas party at 1am, and executed it in the dead of night with spray-on snow.
“It was so popular with the locals,” she tells Fabulous.
“The whole village was coming over and taking pictures.
“I had to leave the car stationary for a couple of days.”
Louise has also managed to draw on Mason’s face while he slept without him noticing.
“My son sleeps like a brick,” she laughs.
“You could have a stampede of elephants go through his room and he wouldn’t wake up.
When does Elf on the Shelf begin?
According to the official website your Scout Elf can arrive anytime during the festive period.
Typically he or she will arrive at the start of the celebrations and return to the North Pole with Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.
Santa sends most of his Scout Elves during “Scout Elf Return Week”, which runs from November 23 to December 1.
“I do have to be a bit of a ninja at times.”
The creative mum has never repeated an idea and comes up with new pranks every Christmas.
Elf on the Shelf is a newly created Christmas tradition where families adopt one of Santa’s little helpers.
While they sleep, the elf gets up to all sorts of mischief around the house, typically leaving a mess for the children to wake up to.
The character’s prominence in modern culture is loosely based on the 2005 children’s book, The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition.
The story details elves visiting children during the festive period to Christmas Eve, after which they return to the North Pole until next year.
For mums like Louise, it’s a great way to add to the magic of Christmas without breaking the bank.
“I live for Mason’s face in the morning,” she tells. “He wakes up so excited and he’s straight downstairs looking for what the elf has been up to.
“A lot of people buy loads of props but I don’t. I just use whatever we’ve got in the house.
“I think some parents feel pressured to spend a lot of money, but I literally don’t spend a lot of money on it.
“As long as you’ve got the elf, you can just use what you’ve got at home.”
- You can follow Oscar the elf’s antics on Instagram at @