A woman is now sharing her video as a warning to others after a seemingly well-intentioned prank by her husband involving Christmas decorations went up in smoke - quite literally.
This incident was reported by the media outlet Ladbible.
The woman, known as @maddieeeee311 on the social media platform TikTok, shared a viral TikTok video from last year, where a Christmas elf's face was completely melted after falling onto a light bulb from a chandelier.
The original post was viewed over 44 million times and clearly demonstrated the dangers of leaving plastic Christmas decorations near electricity.
In her original caption, the woman wrote,
"At least it didn't start a fire." The video shocked many viewers, with one person commenting, "Burning down the house is the ultimate prank from Elf on the Shelf." Another shared, "This happened to our elf!! My parents hid him for a few days and came back with a Toy Story band-aid saying he had gone to the elf doctor."
A third joked, "Karma is a bitch. He deserved it." While another commented, "We did the same, and the legs melted onto the light. It's a miracle our house didn't catch fire."
Fortunately, no serious harm occurred, but the situation could have ended disastrously. The video serves as a timely reminder for people to consider where and what they place near heat sources and open flames.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) previously shared a viral video showing how dangerous a real Christmas tree can be if not watered properly. In the CPSC's experiment, as the clip shows, the tree was completely engulfed in flames within seconds. After 23 seconds, the fire spread to the nearby couch and gifts under the tree.
General safety advice includes placing lit candles where they can be easily seen and away from flammable objects like curtains. Blow out candles before leaving a room.
