You could say that Raymond and Jacqueline Elling’s business started 11 years ago.
But we know that this fascination and love of Christmas was planted years before; 88 years ago to be precise, when Raymond’s great grandfather helped to put the very first Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center.
With that family lineage, the Elling’s are Christmas royalty!
Combining a deep love of Christmas and talent for exquisite design and craftmanship, the couple has poured heart and soul into their work as the owners and artists behind Christmas House Advent Calendars.
The Christmas House Advent Calendars are much more than the typical advent calendars. They are handmade pieces of art that include an incredible level of detail and workmanship. They are one of a kind, and to those lucky enough to own one, they are priceless Christmas heirlooms.
The Christmas Gals were lucky enough to have a chance to chat with Raymond about his business and his love of Christmas.
Q: When did your love of Christmas start?
A: My love of Christmas started from the day I was born. My great-grandfather brought the first Christmas Tree to Rockefeller Center in 1931. He was a blasting foreman during its construction. He took up a collection from his men and brought in the tree. There is quite a family story that has been passed down over the years, so you can say Christmas is in my blood. My wife has always been a Christmas guru. These days even more than me. And, she is an incredible Christmas decorator.
Q: How did you come up with your design for the house? Do you have design experience in your background?
A: This House is always something my wife and I wanted for ourselves. I have always been crafty, and architecture is also in my family. It took me years to do the first one on my own, which still isn’t finished. I had people ask me to build them for their families. So, my wife Jacqueline, who is also a crafty person, and I decided to build them for other families and from there it took off. As of today, we still don’t have a finished one of our own! But we build them together and get the opportunity to work together so it has been great.
Q: How long does it take to make one house?
A: We can make about one or two a week. We are meticulous and almost everything is made in-house. It is very detailed work.
Q: Do you make all the light fixtures, dormers and fence pieces?
A: Each house is made of 1/4″ wood. Each window is designed from basswood. The beautiful texture and subtle imperfections of wood bring out the magnificent richness of each house, making them truly unique from each other. The exterior siding of the house is made of real brick and real mortar. Every house comes with electric wiring to illuminate the entire house from door to tower.
The only thing we don’t make ourselves are the brass pieces. Everything else is designed, cut, painted and put together by us, all the way down to every window, accent piece, dormer, fence piece and icicles.
Q: Is each house the same?
Yes and no. We have a standard design, which includes all the detail I described, but we also offer options for families to customize different elements of the Advent Houses. We offer different towers, front doors and fence designs, and customers can add a clock tower, mailbox or even extra dormers. If people have ideas of what they would like to add, we are open to working with them to see if its possible.
Q: What’s is like to work with your spouse?
My wife and I work hand in hand to make each House. Every day, we work about eight feet from each other. She builds, paints, assembles and does the electric….which I won’t touch! Its fantastic to have such a great partner. We must be doing something right to be doing this together since 2008.
Q: Can we still order for this Christmas?
We are currently working on our 2019 Houses. New orders for 2020 are being accepted.
Q: How much are the Houses?
This is a family heirloom that we are making and each one take days and days of handmade work to construct. Advent Houses are $1,995 plus shipping.
Q: Just for fun, what is your favorite Christmas cookie?
A: My favorite Christmas cookie is something my family calls Three Color Cookies. It’s three colored layers with a jelly in between, topped with chocolate. Jacqueline’s favorite would be a sugared butter cookie.
Want more? We do! Learn more at ChristmasAdventHouse.com or follow the artists on Facebook or Instagram.
