Will Ferrell is aware of what a rough year it’s been. While some celebrities refuse to relinquish their mask during the holiday season, smiling for the cameras despite personal hardships and world-weariness, the former Saturday Night Live performer takes a different approach to summoning his Christmas spirit. On December 29, Ferrell dressed as Buddy the Elf (from Jon Favreau’s 2003 Christmas comedy Elf) while attending a hockey game between the Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers. However, instead of screaming through New York streets and eating cotton balls by the fistful, Ferrell is sporting a wicked scowl and a five o’clock shadow as an unlit cigarette dangles from his mouth.

While speaking with Ferrell, a Los Angeles Kings fan, he told FanDuel Sports Network broadcaster Carrlyn Bathe that “it was a tough holiday season” and he’s “looking for a King’s win.” Thankfully, the Kings defeated the Flyers with a final score of 4-5, granting Ferrell a post-Christmas present worth getting excited about.

Jon Favreau’s Elf stars Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf, an oversized worker in Santa’s workshop who travels from the North Pole to New York City to meet his biological father, Walter Hobbs (James Caan). Walter is unaware of Buddy’s existence and isn’t the biggest fan of Christmas. When Buddy and Walter meet, the jolly elf teaches his dad about the magic of Christmas as their bond grows.

Elf became a Christmas classic after banking $220 million worldwide in 2003. Interestingly, Ferrell denied an offer of $29 million to reprise the jolly role for an Elf sequel. While audiences won’t find a silver-screen sequel under the tree anytime soon, Elf is now a Broadway musical. Tony Award nominee Grey Henson plays Buddy the Elf in the stage version written by David Berenbaum, with Time Out calling the production a “slickly irresistible and fizzily enjoyable confection of a show.”

What do you think of Will Ferrell’s disgruntled Buddy the Elf? Is seeing such a firecracker cracker looking disillusioned by the holidays strange? Do you believe Ferrell’s demeanor changed when the Kings won the game? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

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