A dad dressed as an elf to greet his daughter at the airport — and it’s the best thing you’ll see today
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There are dad jokes, and then there’s this.
A Kansas man is going viral for this adorable homecoming greeting. On Dec. 16, Doug Payne greeted his daughter Courtney at Kansas City International Airport (MCI) — but it wasn’t your typical welcome home. He dressed up, head to toe, in a green elf costume, lights, a hat and even the signature “elf” shoes. Doug also held up a sign with Courtney’s name, suggesting she was on “Santa’s Naughty List.”
Doug has been dressing up to greet his daughter at the airport since she’s been flying back from graduate school in Portland, but this is arguably the most outrageous, not to mention charming, costume yet. Other signs included “Kardashian” and “KC Welcomes Miranda Lambert.”
A few weeks ago, over Thanksgiving, Doug held up a sign that said, “Welcome to KC Miss Oregon Courtney Payne.” He dressed in a flannel shirt, a la Paul Bunyan.
Courtney told USA Today, “This is just his personality,” adding that “Everybody sees what’s happening. We’re in the airport for about 20 minutes while he continues the show. He likes to hold up the sign.”
Understandably, Courtney’s reaction to the elf costume was hilarious and heartwarming. You can watch the full video here:
Courtney never expected the tweet to pick up as much interest as it did (more than 35,000 views and counting!). Since then, her story has been translated into various languages all over the world. She’s even received messages from children who grew up without fathers or lost theirs. We’re not crying, you’re crying.
She’ll graduate in June, so her upcoming spring break might just be the cherry on top of the cake. While Courtney is expecting that her dad will do something even more over the top, he won’t tell her what.
One thing’s for sure: If this elf costume was any indication, the next one will be even more of a hoot. We can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.
Featured image by Elva Etienne/Getty Images.
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