A dad unwittingly torched his family’s elf on the shelf display after switching on an oven where the festive dolls were hiding (Pictures: Chelsea Hightower)

A father accidentally incinerated his family’s elf on the shelf display after turning on an oven where the festive dolls were hiding. Matt Hightower, from Overland Park in Kansas, cooked the Christmas characters last week while his wife Chelsea went to Target to do some Christmas shopping.