Elf Attack

A six year old Paulding County boy is recovering from an apparent attack by one of Santa's elves. Jonathan Arwood, who resides in Dallas with his parents and three siblings, received "The Elf on the Shelf" book and elf on Friday of last week. The elf is said to stay with a family for the Christmas season. During this time he "watches" the kids during the day and will then fly to the North Pole every night to report to Santa. Jonathan was very excited although apprehensive about the presence of this elf.

As part of the tradition the elf was to be named, and the Arwood family decided on the name Elfis. One of the important rules to be followed while hosting Elfis is that he must not be touched, or he will lose his magic and not be able to return to Santa. Heather Arwood, the victims mother, describes the events as they unfolded. "Jonathan was already very nervous about having the elf in our home. He was innocently playing in front of the entertainment center where Elfis was perched on the top. All of a sudden Elfis appeared to leap off the top of the shelf and land on Jonathan's head. Jonathan, knowing that the elf could not be touched, was terrified. He screamed and jumped onto the couch. I was trying to figure out how to get the elf back on the shelf while Jonathan continued to scream and the poor elf was laying lifeless on the floor. I finally checked on the website and was able to convince Jonathan that it would be ok for me to pick up Elfis with a blanket and place him back in his spot on the shelf. It was horrible, imagine seeing your child attacked by something that was supposed to bring him joy." The mother states that Jonathan is now scared to be in the room alone with Elfis and has become obsessed with the elf.

The victim sustained no physical injury, although the full extent of his emotional trauma will not be known until a psychiatric evaluation is completed. The parents have set up an account for anyone who wishes to donate to Jonathan's future therapy bills. Phone calls to Santa for comment have not been returned.