The Reason One Mom's Elf On The Shelf Prank Is Being Called Cruel

'Tis the season for Elf on the Shelf to create controversy — and this time, it's not just because the tradition is tiring out parents from all over the world during an already hectic time of year. Some 2020 wary moms and dads are even craftily avoiding having to move their Elf by putting him or her in quarantine — you know, since the travel from the North Pole could have exposed the Elf to germs.

But now one mom is under attack for taking the Elf on the Shelf tradition too far (via Mirror). It seems her imagination got the best of Tanya Lee, who arranged scenes for her 5-year-old son's Elf that resembled a crime scene more than a winter wonderland. Can you blame Lee, though? Perhaps she was only trying to compete with the litany of over-the-top Elf "sets" parents meticulously display and then post to social media.

So was Lee being a bad mom or just inventive? You be the judge.

Lee's son, Oscar, discovered his Elf on Shelf covered in fake blood, having been half-eaten by his Grinch stuffed animal. As Lee explained to the Mirror, "We had had roast chicken on Sunday and the bones left a perfect elf-shaped skeleton so I thought I'd play this joke on Oscar. I went for it, and left the skeleton out as if the Grinch ate Elf on the Shelf." Her scene even featured the Grinch holding a knife and fork. Unfortunately, Oscar wasn't as amused as his mom.

"But my little boy cried and cried. He cried for half an hour. His first words afterwards were 'the Grinch shouldn't have eaten her. The Grinch is not allowed to eat her.' I had to open the cupboard and show him that the elf was actually hiding and that it was just a silly little joke," Lee shared, adding that while her son was traumatized, she thought the joke was hilarious.

Now, Oscar is intent on keeping Grinch away from Elf. Meanwhile, according to The Sun, Facebook users attacked Lee's parenting. For her part, she says, "People are good at being keyboard warriors. I don't mind a few negative comments though. I half expected these negative comments online. There have been some positive ones actually though. Some people just loved the picture."