There’s having a favorite Christmas movie, and then there’s HAVING a favorite Christmas movie.

Caylee Hammack says that her favorite is Elf, starring Will Ferrell, because “that is the whole reason I started singing.”

Yes, it’s a new holiday classic with many memorable scenes, but it’s one scene in particular that made her dad take notice of Caylee’s singing ability.

Caylee recalls, “I was leaning up against the kitchen island when they played ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ in the movie, Elf, and I was singing along to it. I was 13 when it came out. And my dad said, ‘Caylee, you can actually sing.’ I was like, ‘No, don’t make fun of me.’ We were always tease each other, so I thought he was teasing me.’”

Turns out that not only was her dad not teasing her, he wanted to help her grow her talent. Caylee recalls the encouragement from her dad led to her trying out for a talent show, “he’s like…Caylee, I think you should try it,’ and that’s when I signed up for this little talent show in my hometown and I completely embarrassed myself. I sang, ‘I Will Survive,’ and I froze on the first lines – ‘At first I was afraid, I was p-pe-pet-petrified.’ And completely flunked it.” 

Even with that little bump in the road, she pressed on, and now has a career singing…because of her dad and Elf. “The whole reason I tried out for it is because my dad heard me singing in the kitchen to ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ in the Elf movie.” So, when it comes to favorite holiday movies for Caylee, “Elf is probably my favorite Christmas movie.”

While it’s not a shower, Caylee knows that sometimes all you need for the perfect holiday atmosphere is a fireplace, an acoustic guitar and Christmas songs.

To make the holidays a little brighter, over the last few days Caylee has released three gorgeous renditions of some holiday classics for her fans — “Hard Candy Christmas,” “The Christmas Song,” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”

We are sure these are all dad approved…

Check out Caylee singing “The Christmas Song”…

Caylee puts her own spin on the Dolly Parton classic “Hard Candy Christmas.”

And to cap off her mini-holiday concert, Caylee sings “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”

Photo Credit: Piper Ferguson