I had the pleasure of spending the day as an elf at Hamleys – and it was much harder than I thought. When my editor asked me if I fancied swapping out my suit and tie for the vibrant green and red outfit of an elf, I didn’t think twice. That’s basically a day off work, I thought.
![[I was a Hamley's elf]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_230302684-7b5e.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
I couldn’t have been more wrong. I’ve been a kitchen porter, a shelve stacker and now a journalist, but my three hours spent dancing around Hamleys seven floors on Regent Street were more tiring than any of my ‘proper’ jobs. As a Londoner of less than three months, you’ll probably be shocked to hear that I had never actually stepped foot in the famous old toy store before my recent visit.
![[I was a Hamley's elf]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233766877-6f44.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
But I have to say, even as a 22-year-old man, I was wowed when I walked into an empty Hamleys before opening time. Ten-year-old me would have loved it even more. It’s quite literally a kid’s dream – toys and fun everywhere. I didn’t have much time to admire the world’s oldest toy store though, as the leader of Hamleys’ legion of elves quickly whisked me away to get ready. The fun was about to start.
![[I was a Hamley's elf]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233766875-4b96.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
I awkwardly emerged back onto the shop floor ten minutes later donning my outfit – green and red leggings, trousers and a button-up top along with my hat and classic curly-toed elf slippers. It was at this point, much to my shock, that I had the news sprung on me that I was going to be an integral part of the elf team’s opening ceremony outside the shop-front.
![[I was a Hamley's elf]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_230302503-b788.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
