Spreading Christmas cheer: Watch local man surprise shoppers with 'Buddy the Elf' scene at Crabtree

If you were holiday shopping at Crabtree Valley Mall over the weekend, you might have seen an unusual sight.

Buddy the Elf was visiting from the North Pole with his family – and he was learning how to ride the escalator.

"With all the stress and craziness in the world, I figured It was time to spread some holiday cheer," said Shannon McLaughlin, a local man who hoped his random act of whimsy would create smiles and joy for shoppers.

McLaughlin was inspired by Buddy, the main character from the popular holiday movie "Elf."

"I wanted to re-create the scene where he first tried going up the escalator," he said. "I hoped it would surprise people – but it seems like a lot of people had seen the movie and anticipated what I was going to do, so a crowd started to form at the base of the escalator."

As people gathered to watch the scene, the crowd started cheering and clapping.

"It’s been a tough year with COVID. Our whole premise was to make people smile and laugh," he said.

Mission accomplished.

"Kids were so excited. People in the crowd stopped for photos with me," he said. "I went to try and make other people feel good, but I left feeling so good myself."

McLaughlin bought the Buddy costume on Amazon a few weeks ago on a dare from his teenage daughters. He says watching "Elf" is an annual tradition for his family.

"We've watched it at least five times this season alone," he said.

"It’s always been part of who I am as a person," he said. "And I wanted to show my teenage girls how to focus on helping other people. When they saw the crowd laughing, they really started getting into it. It's a good lesson for them to learn – let your guard down sometimes."

So can Raleigh expect to see Buddy the Elf wandering around next Christmas? Possibly singing or creating other scenes from "Elf?"

"I'd love to come up with other scenes and do this on an annual basis," he said.