Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Andrew Sanford | News | November 10, 2026
As for Christmas movies, Elf never had a huge presence in my house growing up. By the time it was released, my family had already narrowed down their list of favorites, with National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation being at the top of the list. Also, even though I was a 14-year-old who went to the movies often when the Will Ferrell-starring film premiered, I don’t think I saw it until several years after its release. It barely even registered on my radar. Now, it’s pretty inescapable.
My personal barometer for how the movie had entered the zeitgeist is my mother. I remember returning home one holiday season, some time in the 2010s, to have her suggest we watch the movie on DVD. The idea that she had seen it was mind-boggling enough for me, as she was never much of a Will Ferrell fan, but the fact that she had gone out and purchased it on physical media made the whole thing feel even crazier. But she was hooked, even quoting the movie along the way.
Fast forward to 2026, and the film has found such a foothold in our culture that someone who is only in it for a few scenes is now releasing a book about the movie’s journey to the big screen. Andy Richter, who spent much of his career as sidekick to Conan O’Brien, has a new book hitting shelves that he co-wrote with Aaron Karo. It’s called Elf Unwrapped, and it’s an oral history of the making of the Christmas comedy, featuring interviews with people like Zooey Deschanel, Jon Favreau, and, of course, Ferrell himself.
However, the comedian couldn’t stop there. While Richter was making an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to promote the new book, Ferrell made a sudden appearance to lend his friend a hand. He did so dressed as the titular Elf, Buddy, albeit with an unlit cigarette and a beer. He then made it clear that he was not Buddy, but himself. Still, the effect is the same. Even for someone like myself, who has maybe seen the movie a couple of times, it’s impossible not to get a little dose of magic from the actor popping the costume back on in any setting.
It also helps that Ferrell is one of the funniest people to grace this planet. Even this brief cameo is enough to earn some pretty big laughs. The man can’t not be engrossing. That’s part of why the film has endured for as long as it has (it’s insane to think it’s almost old enough to rent a car). I’ve got the clip queued up to Ferrell’s cameo, but the whole interview is worth a watch. And the book sounds like a good gift for the Elf fan in your life.
