When it comes to Christmas traditions, families often go for big trees, loud decorations, and the kind of festive enthusiasm you can practically hear from three blocks away. But one Texas mom has taken her holiday strategy to an entirely new level, and TikTok is absolutely buzzing about it. Her controversial choice? Using Santa’s infamous naughty list to whip her daughters’ behavior into shape and it worked a little too well.
The TikTok shows the Texas mother filming her two young daughters, Sawyer and Murphy Claire, sitting sweetly in front of their glowing Christmas tree. It looks like a picture-perfect December moment until it becomes obvious that this mom has reached peak holiday frustration. Thanks to some sibling squabbles, rule-breaking, and a certain Elf on the Shelf emergency, the Texas household had officially entered Christmas crunch time.
According to Mom, things spiraled after little Murphy Claire touched the family’s original elf, Scout, a massive no-no in Elf on the Shelf world. That single act sent Scout straight to the elf hospital, so a replacement elf named Sugar arrived to take over surveillance duties. Sugar also brought a lengthy “letter,” clearly penned by Mom but delivered as if fresh from the North Pole. And Sugar did not hold back.
Texas Mom Tells Daughters They’re On The Naughty List
The letter explains that the girls haven’t been behaving, citing hitting, not listening, and the plot twist of all plot twists, Murphy Claire opening her Christmas presents early. Alongside those accusations, Sugar lays out a list of requirements the girls must follow to escape Santa’s naughty list: be kind to each other, pick up toys, listen the first time they’re told something, get dressed in the morning, and basically start acting like elves-in-training.
Murphy Claire’s reaction was pure unbothered chaos. She listens, nods, and appears ready to move on with her day like nothing happened. Sawyer, on the other hand, absolutely crumbles. The moment the words “naughty list” sink in, she melts into a full emotional collapse, turning away, curling into a ball against the wall, and sobbing like she just felt Santa personally take back every present from under the tree.
The TikTok comment section lit up instantly. Some viewers said the Texas mom went too far. Others applauded her creativity, joking that the elf was whipping the girls into shape.
Using The Elf On The Shelf Tactic
“Murphy is staying on that naughty list,” one person joked in the comments section. “I wish I could be as care free as Murphy,” said another. “Don’t do my girls like that,” a third person wrote. “You can get them to do ANYTHING you want them to do in the month of December,” a fourth comment read.
One thing’s for sure: this Texas mom is doing everything she can to keep the holiday magic alive and keep her daughters in line. Hopefully, with a little help from Sugar the elf, Sawyer and Murphy Claire just might land themselves back on Santa’s nice list before Christmas morning arrives in Texas.
Nina Franklin 
Casey James 
