Watch video: Eliot brings scene of Elf to life as he meets his biological father

Doug Henning knows how to make a lasting impression.

When Eliot’s man, 43, flew to Boston’s Logan Airport just before Thanksgiving to meet his biological father for the first time, he couldn’t resist the re-enactment of a scene from “Elf”.

Dressed as Buddy the Elf, the character played by actor Will Farrell, Henning held up a cardboard sign as he happily hopped and sang a song from the 2003 film.

Video of Henning’s meeting with his father, Raul, was filmed by Henning’s 11-year-old daughter and has been widely shared since the family posted it to Facebook. Stories appeared on television and in newspapers, which Henning did not expect.

Henning is happy that people were touched by his clumsy icebreaker and heartwarming reunion.

“I’m happy to be able to bring joy to people, especially with what everyone has been through this year,” he said. “I hope people find this endearing.”

Henning’s meeting with his biological father came eight months after Henning first contacted members of his extended family. Raised in Alaska, Henning always knew he was adopted and said he had a good life. But as his two daughters grew older, he questioned more about his own background and took a DNA test with Ancestry.com.

“I wanted to know where part of me came from,” he says. “Honestly, I didn’t think I could find anything because I didn’t have any information on my parents. I certainly did not think I would have a success for my father’s family. The adoption papers from 1976 did not contain any information about my father’s side.

Doug Henning and his father spent Thanksgiving together, never having met before. Photo courtesy of Doug Henning

Henning, a cinematographer who works on “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette,” and “The Amazing Race,” worked in Los Angeles until production ceased due to the pandemic, but received a message. Ancestry.com from a cousin soon after he returned home to Maine in March.

This connection enabled Henning to track down his two younger sisters and his father, who were unaware of his son’s existence. After months of phone calls and Zoom visits, Henning’s dad and sisters flew from Florida and New Orleans to spend Thanksgiving in Maine. The whole family tested negative for the coronavirus ahead of their long-awaited reunion, Henning said.

The idea of ​​dressing as Buddy the Elf popped into Henning’s head one day while driving with his wife shortly before they traveled to Boston.

“I’m kind of a prankster,” he says. “The story is exactly the same. This is the perfect season to do it.

The reference to the Christmas movie about a man raised in the North Pole who first meets his father has been lost on Henning’s father, Raul, but his sisters get the joke.

“He had never seen the movie so he just thought I was a nutcase. (My sisters) thought it was awesome, ”he said.

After seeing his son dance a jig and sing a song, Raul, who asked that his name not be used publicly to protect his privacy, wrapped Henning in his arms.

“Oh my son, my boy,” Raul said. “Mijo, 44 ​​years too old.”

Henning said his father, who works in the same field as his son, was overjoyed to become a father and grandfather on the same day. The family had hoped to spend Christmas together this year, but decided to delay an upcoming visit due to the growing number of coronavirus cases.

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