It’s A Wonderful Internet

Christmas. The season of goodwill? Or the season of good websites? The Gate Worldwide senior copywriter Zoë Martin on why it really is a wonderful internet…

You’ve bought all your presents online. Sent virtual e-cards. Now, go elf yourself. No, that’s not an insult. It’s the latest Christmas Internet must-do. Elf Yourself, much like the Will Ferrell film Elf, is a slightly creepy but highly enjoyable piece of festive fun. This ingenious site allows you to transform yourself into an elf. A talking, dancing elf. And once you’ve done it to yourself, you can upload photos of everyone you know and do it to them too. There’s something strangely satisfying about seeing your best friend, other half and your boss dancing to an irritating Christmas jingle.

Yes, this time of year, the Internet is truly, wonderfully jam-packed with more time-wasting websites than you can shake a candy cane at. Got an hour to spare? Log on to Facebook, send a virtual gingerbread man or two, and make yourself a virtual Christmas tree. You can choose the base, type of tree and background – and then agonise over whether to have blinking bulbs, tinsel or baubles. Pretty much like the real thing but without the hassle of carrying it home and trying to keep the cat from climbing it.

Liking the virtual tree? Then you’ll love virtual snow. Since the likelihood of seeing snow is, well, as likely as seeing Cliff Richard kissing someone under the mistletoe, you may as well make your own. Make A Flake allows you to create paper snowflakes but without the mess. Once you’ve made your masterpiece, you can compare it to other peoples’ – which will lead you to the swift conclusion that some people definitely have too much time on their hands.

If all this decorating and cutting out sounds like too much work, then treat yourself to a classic Christmas film in 30 seconds – re-enacted by bunnies. Angry Alien has taken all the essential bits of It’s A Wonderful Life and made it even better. (Their version of The Shining and Titanic are also particularly good too, even if they’re not seasonally appropriate.)

Still doubtful of the Internet’s place in the holiday season? Then It’s A Wonderful Internet will set you right. This storybook style animation follows what happens when a man wishes the Internet had never been born. After watching it, you’ll feel all warm and fuzzy inside… and strangely compelled to go back onto Facebook and throw a snowball at all your friends – real and virtual.

About the author

Zoë Martin is the Senior Copywriter for IAS SMARTS in Edinburgh. She joined SMARTS in 2004, having previously worked for Channel 4 and in Los Angeles.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 20th, 2007 at 5:22 pm and is filed under Insights. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.