'Our dog ate the face off our Elf on the Shelf. Now there's a BIGGER problem'

"They are smart kiddos, we need a foolproof plan!" mum Jessica shared in her post, pleading for other parents' help with this unique dilemma. What would you do?

Nama Winston

2 min read

December 20, 2022 - 9:52AM

Source: Facebook

Parenting

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As any parent doing Elf on the Shelf knows, the game keeps you on your toes.

One must think outside the box to make the nightly pranks the Elf pulls increasingly magical, and maybe even ridiculous.

For example, the mum who got grandma to pretend the Elf had taken her hostage, and another mum who drew on her child's face with marker, then blamed it on the Elf.

Yes, Elf on the Shelf is a lot of emotional work for parents... but especially for poor mum Jessica, a group member of the Facebook group Cheeky Elf Ideas, who this week faced an unexpected hiccup, thanks to a unique Elf dilemma for which she desperately needed advice.

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Poor Duke, that would have hurt! Source: Facebook

"Our dog destroyed Duke"

Jessica wrote in her desperate post:

"HELP! Our dog destroyed Duke when I drove my kids to school, and I had to go buy another but only found a girl!

"What are some clever ways to tell an eight and five-year-old that Duke won't be returning… and the reason for a new elf to move in.

"They are smart kiddos, we need a foolproof plan!"

The post was accompanied by a photo of the new girl Elf... and poor Duke with his face bitten off.

Luckily, Jessica was amongst like-minded friends, and thousands were ready to give her advice as to why Duke now appeared to be a... Daisy.

"Dear kids, your dog ate my face"

The responses were plentiful, and can be categorised as such:

Excuses

"He got a promotion to head toy maker."

"He's got Covid so had to quarantine in the North Pole, the new one is his replacement."

"Say Santa's called him back for some very important work and sent Daisy in his place."

And the more elaborate:

"Why not introduce her as a replacement while Duke is getting elf surgery and rehab, then when he is better, he can return next year, and you will have two Elves."

And of course, the hilarious: "Dear kids, Your dog ate my face. You decide his punishment. Take care, I'm off to rehab."

Practical advice

"You can use acetone to remove the lipstick. I did it once to turn the girl into a boy and I also erased the blush."

"Wrap a BIG bandage around his head/face. Tell them the dog got ahold of him and had a tonne of surgery so will look this way for awhile. (He looks that way until you find a new boy elf)."

Oh the mental load the Elf on the Shelf has created! Source: iStock

Proper explainers

One of the most-liked explanations was this:

"A note from Duke; Santa told me something today which means I sadly can't stay. Being your special elf, I had lots of fun. Sorry I didn't say goodbye, I had to run.

"Santa gave me a special job to do, I won't forget all the mischief and watching over you. We sent you elf (whatever get name is) together, they will both be great.

"I better dash now for my special mission, I don't want to be late."

BUT the most-liked comment was this: "It's 2022 and Duke now wants to identify as Daisy?"

Another mum agreed, adding, "Could she be trans? It's 2022 after all."

One mum shared a beautiful response to this comment, "Duke transitioned to Duchess," writing:

"I like this one. Educational too. My sister has just become my brother and I'm currently explaining to my son why he's Uncle James now so definitely love this one."

This post was updated in December 2023.