Sideswipe: December 9: IRL Christmas movie moment

Now that's an icebreaker

A man who dressed as an elf to meet his biological father for the first time has admitted his dad may have thought he was a "lunatic". Doug Henning donned a costume like the one Will Ferrell wore in Elf the movie, jumped up and down, and sang: "I'm here, with my dad," just as the actor did, playing the character of Buddy. The only problem was that Henning's father had not seen the 2003 film, which his son had watched two days before the meeting, giving him the idea.

Meat eaters for Christmas also a pain

In response to the suggestion that having a vegan for Christmas is exhausting, a reader responds: "I find inviting meat eating friends and family members, who insist that the season of goodwill is best celebrated by slaughtering some animals, and bringing them into your vegan household is an ok thing to do. They wouldn't bring alcohol to a dry house, or smoke in a non smoking house, but are happy to deposit meat into a meat-free home. Very exhausting. And rude."

Did you know…

1. Macquarie Dictionary's Word of the Year for 2020 is "doomscrolling".
2. The first ever cloned cat was named CC - Copy Cat.
3. The anus is the first part of the human body to develop in the womb. It starts life as a tiny opening called a "blastopore".
4. 'Wifi' doesn't stand for anything: it's a pun on Hi-Fi, (from 'High Fidelity') not short for the meaningless "Wireless Fidelity".

No tape, no problem

Improvising.

Ohio bans travel to and from Ohio

The authorities in Ohio are recommending that people in Ohio avoid traveling to Ohio. The official coronavirus guidance also recommends that those entering Ohio after travelling from Ohio self-quarantine in Ohio for 14 days. "Obviously, outside of The Matrix or a Christopher Nolan movie, this is physically impossible," says a local news station.

Last word

"I am reminded of the expression "a Glasgow salad", which refers to a poke of chips with two pickled onions on the top," writes Tony Manning. "A poke is, of course, a bag, as in "a pig in a poke".