Mom slammed for 'disturbing' elf on the shelf setup

Elf on the Shelf is a Christmas tradition for many families, but one mom may have taken it a step too far after her festive setup was slammed as 'disturbing' and 'cruel.'

The story behind Elf on the Shelf goes like this: A family adopts a Scout Elf, who keeps an eye on the kids in the build up to Christmas.

Each night, the magical elves fly back to the North Pole to tell Santa whether you've been naughty or nice and return to the family home before you wake up, perching in a new spot, waiting for someone to find them.

Over the years, parents have become more and more extreme with their Elf on the Shelf ideas, with parents putting Santa’s little helpers in all kinds of crazy situations.

Now, one mom is being accused of taking the Christmas tradition way too far with her 'twisted' setup.

TikToker and mom-of-two Cece is known for creating wild Elf on the Shelf scenarios for her kids to enjoy over the festive season.

She's previously she left the elf in a pair of underwear stuck to the fridge, and even had him cut up her children's clothes in a cheeky prank.

And on the sixth day of the tradition this year, she truly went above and beyond.

In a now-viral TikTok video, Cece runs a bath and holds out a plastic bag. Inside the bag is a school of tiny goldfish.

She cuts open the bag and empties the fish into the bathtub, before sticking a toy fishing rod and a sign to the wall, reading: “Don’t mind me, just fishing!”

Finally, she positions the elf doll into the corner of the bath with its arms and legs around the fishing rod.

The clip has since been viewed more than seven million times but, while some deemed her idea 'creative,' many slammed the mom for the 'disturbing' prank.

One person wrote: “This is actually disturbing. How careless and selfish. Let’s just kill a bunch of fish for Elf on the Shelf.”

“[You] could've easily used fake fish, this is disgusting and cruel,” said another.

And a third commented: “Wait, I’m actually so sad. This is ridiculous, poor fish.”

Many others wondered what would happen to the fish after the prank, with one user writing: “Are the fish OK?”

As it turns out, it seems the fish didn't survive the ordeal, with Cece confirming in a comment that her 'sister's turtles will get them'.

The video soon reached animal activists, with Elisa Allen, Vice President of Programmes at PETA, telling The Sun that the mom needs 'a vital lesson in empathy.'

“Fish, unlike The Elf on the Shelf, are living, feeling beings with personalities and a desire to be free, and it’s sickening to see them doomed – reduced to objects of a gimmick for social media views,” she said.

She urged parents to 'use common decency' and 'leave animals in peace' when spreading festive cheer.