It’s December, and we all know what that means. . .Christmas season!

 

It’s a time for family, food, gifts, snow, trees, angels, singing, and Christmas movies. Out of those, of course, my favorite is the Christmas movies. Home Alone, Gremlins, Die Hard, The Santa Clause, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, All I Want for Christmas, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Trading Places, and a few more.

    

However, my all-time favorite Christmas movie is ELF. No matter what scene it is in the movie, when it comes on TV I stop what I’m doing and watch it until the end, hoping it is playing again next. I do not know where to even begin with the amazing quotes and memorable moments. With that being said, there is an underappreciated part in the beginning of the movie that we all can learn from this Christmas season.

 

Buddy, the main character, and all the other elves are going over The Code of Elves. 3 simple rules that they live by, and these 3 rules can apply to us. So let’s take a look.

 

First Rule: Treat Every Day Like Christmas. Easy, right? You have the gift list for your family and friends, you are making plans for dinner, and you have the tree, the lights, and the Christmas music blaring. You are ready. Christmas is not a holiday you miss and the level of excitement is growing every day. Our excitement is not based on the gifts, but on the celebration of our Savior’s birth. I mean, even the Grinch knew Christmas should not be just about the gifts.

 

Second Rule: There’s Room for Everyone on the Nice List. According to recent studies, Christmas is the most attended church service of the year. That means people from all different backgrounds are gathered together to hear the story of our Savior’s birth. There is no better time of the year to tell the rest of the story with friends and family. Who wants to hear just the beginning of the story?

 

Third Rule: The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is Singing Loud For All to Hear. Our joy should be contagious. We should not be able to contain it, and it should overflow to anyone near us. Have you ever just stopped and read through the words of some of our favorite Christmas songs? Take a minute and just think through them. When you do, you will sing them so loud that people outside of the church will hear through the walls and have no doubt that the songs have a deeper meaning than songs we sing just one month a year.

 

If you noticed, The Code of Elves could be applied to our lives daily, not just during the holiday season. Remember that God sent His Son (Rule 1) for everyone (Rule 2) and that joy is not something we should hold back (Rule 3). Just do not be that “Angry Elf”.