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A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Rabbi Warren Elf

Buddy the Elf Day

Good morning.

Yesterday was 鈥淎nswer The Telephone Like Buddy The ELF鈥� Day!

As I have the surname ELF, I thought it is probably worth addressing, not that I am fan of the film Elf, or the character, Buddy.
The suggestion for the day was simply answer the phone and say "(Your Name) the Elf, what's your favourite colour." As you answer, smile and spread some joy. It's nearly impossible not to. Encourage others to do the same.

Another way to enter into the spirit of the day is by telling elf jokes. Elves spread fun and joy wherever they go. And I suppose that is something I try to do too, so here goes:

Q: What do you call an elf who wins the lottery? A: Welfy!

Q: What's the first thing elf children learn in school? A: The elf-abet!

Q: What kind of photos do elves like taking? A: Elfies of course!

And of course, something to advocate strongly for is the National Elf Service!

A few years ago, I received a call from a magazine researching into people with Christmas related names and what they do at Christmas. They thought it was hilarious that someone with the name Elf was Jewish and a Rabbi, but not enough so to do a story on!

So even though it was yesterday, I think we should all be trying to spread light and joy, especially at this time of year! In the aftermath of Chanukah the Jewish festival of Light, in the final week of Advent with Christmas less than a week away, the message of smiling, spreading joy and kindness across our world is certainly needed.
So, Eternal God, I pray that joy is spread today and every day. Help me do acts of love and kindness that will encourage this. And at times when people are struggling, I pray that others will also be kind and spread joy. I pray for light and joy around the world.

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