Buddy the Elf and Advent (Day 4)

One of my favorite Christmas movies is Elf. Love it! Will Ferrell is a riot as an awkward man who had been raised by elves at the North Pole. He returns to New York to find his real father, who is unfortunately on Santa’s naughty list. Just look at the picture-how could you not laugh at his elf costume? (Incidentally, it was based on the elf costume from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.)

Incidentally, Buzzfeed has a list of “19 Reasons Why Elf Will Always Be Your Favorite Christmas Movie.” Pretty spot on, I’d say. Watch these funniest moments from the movie:

Heck, did you know Buddy the Elf even has a Facebook page with almost 10 million likes? I think my son has a special affinity for Buddy because he loves candy; Buddy says: “We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.”

So what exactly does this have to do with Advent? Well, for one, I think anything that brings the family together and puts you in the Christmas spirit is a good thing. Because there are way too many other forces out there working to pull us in different directions.

As much as I enjoy technology, I also believe it can be abused and overused. And it has the potential to slowly tear us away from one another. The Christmas card of the family too busy texting to notice the photo is being taken? We have to laugh at it but deep down, it’s just plain SAD.

So, what does Buddy stand for? He believes in smiling (“I just like to smile, smiling’s my favorite”). He LIVES for Christmas (“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.”) And this is Buddy’s idea of a great day: “First we’ll make snow angels for two hours, then we’ll go ice skating, then we’ll eat a whole roll of Tollhouse Cookie-dough as fast as we can, and then we’ll snuggle.” I think we all could use a little more Buddy in our lives. Especially now.

It’s even more fun watching Elf after our trip to New York City for Spring Break just for recapturing the joy and fascination that only NYC offers. The Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Times Square, the subway, Empire State Building, & Ground Zero are only a few of the iconic landmarks and must-have experiences that await in the city that never sleeps. And the Christmas song that perfectly captures the magic of NYC is “City of Silver Dreams” by Sugarland.

“City of Silver Dreams”

The windows in New York City
All dressed up with ribbons and smiles
Snow covers the park like a carpet
Bells on white carriages roll by in style.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral is all lit up
When the doors open wide I can see
All of those candles burning inside
Looks like somebody’s birthday party to me.

Snowy night
Catch the light
Shimmer bright
Angels sing
Here below
Children know
Faces glow
Bells they ring
Through a city of silver dreams

They hung a star over 5th Avenue
Like a beacon that’s calling you home
With our gifts we come looking for comfort
May we find in each other we’re not so alone

Snowy night
Catch the light
Shinning bright
Angels sing
Here below
Children know
Faces glow
Bells they ring
Through a city of silver dreams

It’s like this whole town has swallowed some magic
With a taxi horns singing away
They say that this city will change you
But it ain’t me that’s been changing
from what I can tell.

Snowy night
Catch the light
Shinning bright
Angels sing
Here below
Children know
Faces glow
Bells they ring
Through a city
Through a city so pretty
In this city of silver dreams.

My favorite lyric is when she sings, “Looks like somebody’s birthday party to me” as she describes the candles burning in St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

It IS a birthday party–for Jesus! So perhaps we should channel our inner Buddy and smile more, sing outloud more, and spend more time with the ones we love. That would be an excellent way to celebrate Jesus’s birth, don’t ya think? And throw in some candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup in honor of Buddy!

 

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What is your favorite Christmas movie or character? Or your favorite line from Elf? I know there are some Christmas movie fans out there, so PLEASE share! (Another one of my favorites is A Christmas Story–love the lamp!