This Elf on the Shelf left a permanent mark.
A father took the Elf on the Shelf trend to the extreme and gave himself a tattoo to fully convince his children of their elf’s mischief.
Doting dad Laurence Young, 36, really wanted to get his children in the Christmas spirit.
The UK-based tattoo artist set up an Elf on the Shelf for his three kids (Noah, 11, Annalise, 2 and Tommy, 1) and created an elaborate and everlasting trick for them.
An Elf on the Shel is a fun holiday tradition that many parents partake in when they move a doll around the house every night, leaving behind jolly and often mischievous notes and pranks allegedly done by Santa’s elves on the days leading up to Christmas.
To get his children fully convinced, the tattoo artist decided to add his career into the mix and he tattooed the image of an elf on his foot to have his kids find in the morning.
“The initial idea was just to set up the tattoo machine or take pictures of them in the studio,” he explained to Caters.
“I decided to go one step further and tattoo an elf’s face onto my foot.”
While most parents conceive more temporary playful pranks to set up for their children, Young was fully committed to bringing the Christmas magic alive for his children.
“I don’t regret it at all. It’s a memory that I’ll cherish forever,” he said.
“My eldest son’s reaction made it worth every second.”
The father of two set the family’s elf up on the couch with a tattoo gun and a note explaining that someone had been inked.
Noah, the eldest, immediately began checking himself worried he had been marked before realizing that his father had been chosen by the Christmas elves.
Young noted that the only unenjoyable part of the prank was having to hunch over himself to give himself the tattoo.
“I did it myself,” the tattoo artist said. “It hurt my back more than anything having to lean over to reach my foot.”
He explained that there wasn’t much planning put into the prank but he has no regrets.
“I pretty much just planned it the night before doing it. I just took a photo of one of the elves’ faces and added some little face tattoos to the design,” Young said.
“It took roughly two and a half to three hours to tattoo, which is a long time for that size, but it was really awkward to do.”
Despite the initial discomfort, Young is happy to have a permanent reminder of his children’s Christmas spirit and happiness.
“It’s looking to be a tradition I’ll be carrying on, so l’ll likely be covered in random Christmas tattoos over the next eight or nine years!” he said.
Source link
#Elf #Shelf #extreme #tattoo #prank #kids