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No Christmas character since Mr. Scrooge himself has made the contrast between the holiday spirit and modern life quite as stark as Buddy the Elf, and the cheer-crazed character played by Will Ferrell in the modern classic, Elf.

Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, there are some great lessons we can all take from the comedy to bring the fun back into our humdrum lives, as Tiffany Schultz at Glancer Magazine gleefully points out.

Remember, no one ever died dancing down the grocery aisle (unless it was Black Friday, and we’re thankfully past that time now).

• Be yourself – even when you’re not quite sure where you fit in. Buddy was human but was raised by elves – ummmm, AWK-WARD! So when you are at that Christmas party, where you know no one but your spouse, or you’re the newest employee at the company luncheon, think about how Buddy must have felt…and then smile. (Why? Have you been paying attention? Smiling was Buddy’s favorite. Go ahead – try it. I know the whole walking on the moon thing was big and all, but when one person smiles it truly is one small step for man, but a giant leap for mankind!)

• If you can’t find joy in your own life, find a revolving door and go crazy for a few minutes. The lesson is: be whimsical sometimes, have fun, stop for a moment to enjoy the dizzy.

• Live with a sense of wonder. I really think that is the biggest problem with becoming an adult – we all become so gosh darn cynical!  Go ahead, try to give a raccoon a hug, push all the elevator buttons…get as excited about your in-laws coming to town as your kids do about Santa (ok, admittedly I may have crossed a line here).

Full story at Glancer Magazine.

Movies that always inspire a smile.

Photo credit: Screenshot, Graphics credit: Canva