20 of the most cheerful holiday characters ranked

1. Buddy the Elf (Elf)

And now for our most jolly, cheerful, and downright joyous character… we have to give it to Buddy the Elf. Here is a human (although he didn’t know this at first), who did everything in his power to be the perfect elf for Santa. And even once he learns of his heritage, his childlike wonder is still infectious.

When he leaves the North Pole in search of his real family, Buddy’s eternal optimism makes him one of the most cheerful holiday characters out there. And in the face of his own father’s lack of belief, Buddy is able to retain what it is that makes him so special. He is still able to channel all the magic of being an elf, even a human one, and remind people about the spirit of the season.

We know this because Buddy absolutely loves Christmas activities. He’s down for singing Christmas songs whenever possible. At the store, outside, and even in the shower (ok, he’s still learning boundaries). But Buddy also has a knack for doing Christmas crafts. He decorated the entire department store he worked at in Christmas decorations — all made by hand, mind you. And he even brightened up his dad’s apartment with Christmas decorations from head to toe — including that super tall Christmas tree worthy of being in Rockefeller Plaza.

There’s no denying that Buddy has a flair for Christmas, and that’s why he absolutely had to be our number one pick for cheerful holiday characters. Even Santa needs a break from Christmas during the offseason. But we know Buddy wishes it could be Christmas every day in his heart.

Ultimately, there are plenty of holiday characters who could have been added to this list, but for us, this the list of cheerful holiday characters that inspire us to get into the holiday spirit.

So what do you think of our list? Are there any changes you would make to ranking? Who would you add or remove from this list?