It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but that doesn't stop kids from acting up.
As any parent knows, desperate times call for desperate measures, and one Australian mom decided to use canceling Christmas entirely as a strategy to discipline her children.
To really get the point across, the mom cling-wrapped her family's Christmas tree and attached a note outlining why she is making such a serious threat.
The photo of the tree made its way onto Facebook, where users had a lot to say about her idea and whether it was good parenting or totally out of line.
Even though the festive season is supposed to be about spreading joy, the subject of present distribution and quantity has been known to majorly divide opinions before.
More from LittleThings: How To Manage The Holidays With Kids While You Also Care For Your Aging Parents
Moreover, can you cancel a holiday? And of all holidays to cancel, Christmas is definitely the one that carries the most weight.
Either way, this mom is certainly considering the option.
The note claimed to be written by one of Santa's "Elf on the Shelf" workers, who takes their job very seriously. It reads:
CHRISTMAS IS CANCELLED FOR NOW! IF you want me to keep visiting, a Santa visit + your free + presents back your behavior needs to improve.
Santa is very angry and I’m disappointed. BE GOOD + say sorry to mum.
You all have 1 week to improve. I’m WATCHING
– ELSIE Creepy McCreep Face
Waking up to this note would have been an unpleasant surprise, indeed.
The mom took things a step further by cling-wrapping the tree, as if to say that all Christmas related activities and objects are also on suspension.
Ruining Christmas is definitely one of the most unthinkable things to do in our culture, which is exactly the reason so many people reacted so strongly to this note.
Opinions were divided as to whether this mom's move was brilliant or "cruel."
Some parents say they could never cancel Christmas but that they have used similar tactics to control their children's behavior.
Other people got technical and decided that they would need more background information before determining whether canceling Christmas is a good idea or not.
Others remember the good old days when Christmas didn't need to be canceled. Instead, you'd just be in for a nasty surprise on Christmas morning!
Either way, hopefully these kids shape up and get more than a lump of coal on December 25.
Be sure to SHARE this story with a parent you know!
