Gemma Ginis took her commitment to the cheeky elf tradition to a whole new level with her efforts this morning to surprise her children.
In the past, the cosmetic artist has filled her bath with hot chocolate and covered her living room with polystyrene ‘snow’ to blame on the elf.
But the 39-year-old, from Bridgwater, Somerset, decided to step up her game by covering her entire kitchen, including all appliances, in festive red paper.
Amazing images show the wrapping paper, covered in Christmas trees and presents, neatly wrapped around every work top.
The fridge, cooker and dishwasher has even been wrapped up while three naughty elves are shown perched on one of the worktops, admiring “their” handiwork.
A microwave, kettle, toaster, tea and coffee canisters and even a draining board were also included in the hilarious plan.
Gemma shared the images to a Facebook group in the early hours of this morning, having been up for hours working on the project.
She said: “The elves wrapped our kitchen in gift wrap…(That must have taken them ages)”.
The post has gained over 1,300 likes so far and more than 650 comments from amused parents.
Elena MK said: “Those children are very lucky to have such motivated elves.”
Jennifer DiLorenzo said: “Amazing. I need to know what time your kids go to bed, how late you were up doing this and how long to clean up?”
Jamie Javorsky said: “This is amazing.
“I legitimately will never be that great at this.”
Angi Speer said: “I love it. Makes me want to rent toddlers so that I can have an elf.”
And Justin Annabelle Kirkman added: “Now I know that took forever. That’s true elf dedication right there.”
Speaking today, Gemma said: “My nine-year-old daughter Bella is the biggest Elf on the Shelf fan out of my five children.
“She thought this one was the best thing ever. She loves it when I make a fuss – but those flipping elves have destroyed my kitchen!
“She wakes up super early when the elves are here to go and see what they’ve been up to this time.
“We’ve done all sorts in the past – wrapped our car, turned our whole living room into a winter wonderland and filled the bathtub with hot chocolate and marshmallows.”
Elf on the Shelf originates from a story written in 2004 by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell to commemorate their own family tradition.
The elf has become a huge hit in recent years and established itself as a Christmas tradition worldwide.
The story tells of an “Elf on the Shelf” that is sent by Santa as a scout to check whether children are being naughty or nice in the lead up to Christmas.
The tradition involves the elf moving from different places night by night to give the impression that he is keeping watch over the children.
