Real Life Buddy from “Elf” Comes True in Boston

While Doug Henning didn’t grow up at the North Pole, he did get to meet his biological father in late November according to masslive.com.  Doug had been adopted and discovered his biological father after connecting with relatives on ancestry.com.  The father and son had met up on Zoom and were able to meet in person when Doug’s dad flew into Boston. Doug Henning, 43 who hails from Eliot, Maine thought of a way to break the ice for the first-time meeting of father and son.

He decided to dress like the elf Buddy from the movie “Elf” and even sang the song from the film to his dad. Henning told Boston.com, “When he came out of the airport, he probably thought I was a lunatic.  It was a really good way to break the ice.”  Henning’s biological father had never seen the film, so he didn’t get the joke, but he gave Doug a big bear hug anyway.  Just like in the movie, Henning’s biological father did not know he had a son.

According to masslive.com, Henning was raised by “amazing” adoptive parents and it’s just a bonus to meet up with his biological father.  He must have gotten some strange looks at Logan International Airport in Boston when he starting singing wearing a full Elf costume including the hat.  I love seeing stories like this that have a happy ending.  It’s not really an ending but just the beginning of Doug and his father getting to know each other.  It was also a joy to share that Henning has a child, so his father is also a Grandfather for the first time.