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My first after school job was an elf. Not just any elf, a story-telling, hayride-riding, searching for Santa Clause elf. Did I mention it was outdoors, in December, in Canada? Well, it was. And I loved every shivering moment of it.

The audition notice was posted outside the drama room at my high school. It was out of town, in the country at our local attempt of a zoo. Thank goodness I lived in the country. I went to the audition, which was completely improvisation, and actually booked the job. I was ecstatic. I was a working actor.

I showed up at our first rehearsal, lines memorized, along with the trivia they provided us with to involve the animals along the way. I was slightly surprised to see that I was the only high school student there. There they were, a group of actors who were middle-aged and one would assume, struggling. Of course, some were there for fun, with no acting aspirations of their own. Others were the epitome of the "artist". I learned from one guy writing a screenplay the "proper" way to slit my wrists, information that I'm still not sure I needed to know. A part of me was enthralled though. Every conversation was an adventure.

Growing up with the movie "The Santa Clause", I was one of those kids that had this new-fangled idea of what an elf should be. I was sure that I was going to be one of those pretty elves; I even wore false eyelashes and glitter to the job. Of course, this was not supposed to be one of those elves. I wore a green and red jingle hat, a green and red sack over my 3 sweaters and winter coat, and pointy jingle felt shoe covers over my winter boots. I was styling, to say the least. I was even asked why I was wearing a coat at all if I was "really" an elf, by one of the older kids. I had to give it to the kid, even if he was without an imagination, he had a good point. Of course, I didn't let him know this.

My days as an elf went something like this: meet in the greenhouse, board the next available hayride, and tell the kids that I needed help finding Santa and convincing him that there was enough holiday cheer. This included driving around the entire zoo while telling a story in a hype that could only be explained by 5 red bulls downed simultaneously, singing songs, oh and taking breaks from the story to introduce the bears and tigers as we passed. Once Santa was found, I walked back to the greenhouse and sat, waiting for the next hayride and praying to get feeling back in my toes before it came.

Sure the job was cold, and a little bit lame, but I was definitely the only person at my high school doing something like it. Why would I spend my time stacking clothes or bussing tables when I could be playing make believe? I learned a lot about everything from acting to how to do a three-point-turn (I passed my driving test while working there). I also learned that sometimes shivering in the snow can be a good time.

Learn more about this author, Tiffany Hunter.
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