Well everyone, it's Christmas at my house today -- my Advent House arrived! It is absolutely beautiful!! I knew from the pictures that it was going to be perfect, but when you see it in person, it is truly breathtaking! Raymond thought of everything to make it exta special too - a personalized plaque on the back, a care kit, and another really clever personalized touch that he added to the house, but it's a surprise to whomever orders, so I can't tell you -- sorry! The workmanship is unbelievable. My husband loved it, and my husband's friend, who is pretty handy himself, just looked it all over and said he was "amazed that someone actually built this". My 9-year old daughter said "it's the coolest thing ever". That about sums it up -- it's the coolest thing I've ever seen too, and nobody would ever be sorry if they ordered one of these. It's a true masterpiece. So thanks to Raymond (and his wife), for making this Christmas and all of our Christmases to come extra special -- "we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tapdanced with Danny Kaye!". - The Puma Family It is finally here!!! The house is beyond anything that we could have imagined! Craftsmanship is absolutely unreal and I can tell this was build with pride and now we can share the pride as owners! My family and I are truly stunned with the houses beauty and we are so very proud to own it. The house is our prized treasure and now a family heirloom. My husband was very near tears when Fed Ex finally pulled up today as being a true Christmas vacation fan and now having the house he has always talked about :-). (The driver had broken down- Brad has been up since 6:00 waiting) When we opened the box -it was truly as if Christmas had come early. I can without a doubt say the house was worth every penny and we will treasure the house for many many years to come. Also the detailed tag on the back with house number, family and date is just a special unexpected touch. The way it was packaged was superb! Everything had its own spot and was so NEAT!!! Thank you for making our dream of owning this house a reality.We will be sending some pictures of the house in its new home for you to enjoy! Again with many many thanks! - The Sullivan Family You have truly outdone yourselves. The craftsmanship is outstanding. It's rare to find people that do such excellent work and are so pleasant to deal with. Having our family name on the mailbox is such a great touch to the house. The attention to detail makes it so outstanding. It will be a treasured part of our family Christmas decorations for years to come. We placed it in the center of the living room. And, we had to go ahead and light the house on Saturday just to admire it - we officially lit it today:). My wife has commented every 20 minutes or so on how much she likes the house. She also mentioned that it would be something that we would have in our family for generations. Thank you for all that you have done to build such a beautiful house. When my wife said a year ago that she wanted an Advent House, I don't think we ever thought we'd be able to get one like this - it's awesome. Thanks again. Merry Christmas. - The Suggs Family I haven't felt the Spirit of Christmas for about twenty years. I do now, the feeling overwhelmed me as I unpackaged my Advent House. You did an outstanding job, the craftsmanship is amazing. Every year, the neighbors and I get together for what we call "The Viewing" of Christmas Vacation. The moose mugs last year were a huge hit. This will blow them away. Thank you so Much!!!! - The Dess Family My mom bought this after many years of looking for an Advent House. - The Diden Family I am totally stunned and overwhelmed with how beautiful this house is. - The Sekera Family I just received my house and I have to say it is beyond our expectations. I can't stop staring at it! Thank you, thank you, thank you so much. It's Christmas in September! We are so enjoying the advent house. I have dreamed of having this since the late 80's. It is a dream come true. Every day it is exciting to see what the window will enclose. We only checked out the first few days when we received as to be surprised each day as we count down to Christmas. It will truly be a treasured family heirloom. There are already "claims" as to who will inherit it someday. Thank you so much for making this holiday season truly special. It was well worth the wait. - The Kerns Family I finally bought my wife a Christmas present that won’t be returned to the store. I fully unpacked the house last night in order to give it to my wife this morning, and IT IS BEAUTIFUL. The workmanship and detail are way above my expectations and my wife absolutely loves it. Thank you very much for the fantastic Advent House and continued good luck in your venture. - The Murphy Family It’s Christmas in the Travale home today. Our Christmas Advent House arrived yesterday and we opened it up last night. As soon as we set the house in its new home it became clear to us that we now needed all new furniture in that room. This house BLOW’S EVERYTHING in our real home away. The craftsmanship and detail is simply amazing. I can’t believe that anyone in today’s world would spend so much time and effort creating and building something as beautiful as this Advent House. THIS HOUSE IS A LOT BETTER BUILT THAN THE HOME WE LIVE IN. And we live in a nice home. I must say however I’m a little sad that the ordering building process is over. We have enjoyed working with Raymond and watching the building of our Christmas Advent House so much, it’s a shame it has to come to an end. Raymond is the “MOST PROFESSIONAL” vendor I have ever dealt with, and dealing with vendors is what I do for a living. These Christmas Advent Houses are a true labor of love for Raymond and his family. He would send me updates on its progress online at all hours of the day and night, sometimes in the middle of the night. I couldn’t wait to see what he did next. After dealing with Raymond, and seeing our new “FAMILY TREASURE,” I would easily pay $2000.00 if I had to do it all over again. Anyone who thinks that $995.00 is too much hasn’t seen a house in person. To all who read this all I can say is Christmas is a very special time of year for our family, and if you’re on this site it probably is for yours too. If you really want one of Raymond’s Advent Houses, BE PATIENT, as we were, and when he takes orders again get in line because I promise you, the SPIRIT of ordering, and then watching building process, will last you and your family a lifetime. After all isn’t that what CHRISTMAS is all about? - The Travale Family First, from all of us and from our deepest heart – thank you! We got the box this morning and all of us in the office eagerly opened it right away and put it up. It is currently displayed in my office. We then got Craig over here and surprised him. His look was priceless. He said it is so beautiful that he wants to keep it displayed all year long in his office – which he will most likely do. The part that meant the most to me was the plaque and the thoughtfulness that went into it. This is a piece that we will cherish for many many years to come. It is so inspirational and means more to us than you know. To see each brick and the hard work and effort that went into it – what more can I say than “wow”. You are a special part of our lives now and each year we will be thinking of you. We wish to keep you on our holiday mailing list as I consider you an extended family member now. Thank you again from our hearts…..I can’t express enough the gratitude we have and how much we all appreciate it. - The Stewart Family Our Christmas Advent House arrived at our house on Christmas Eve 2009. The boys and I knew it was coming, Mom did not. A day before the arrival, we picked out the perfect snow-like cotton fluff on which to create a table presentation for the house and surprise Mom when she came home from the last of her never-ending Christmas errands. We knew the air would soon hang high with the sounds of Carols being sung, the smell of turkey, gravy and everything else imaginable on Christmas Day. Mom arrived home to a darkened house with a single light next to the lit up Christmas tree. Words cannot describe her..lack of words..for 10 minutes. Now, for a Mom to have nothing to say with 2 boys and a Dad (her 3 kids) running around at Christmas time, that's saying something! Merry Christmas from Deep in the Heart of Texas to All from our entire family; Mom, Dad, boys, yellow dog and yellow cat. - The Osvold Family We want to tell the world how much we love the house!!!!! - The Stoakley Family Christmas has come early here!!!!! I can't tell you how happy we are with the house. It is perfect and was well worth the wait. We have already set iy up in the dining room, and I'm half tempted to pull the tree out of the attic! - The Thomas Family You have made our holiday season for this year and many more to come. The Advent House is amazing!! The detailing and craftsmanship is everything we had hoped for and much more. The surprise designed only for our house was a very special and personal touch. We open every window together in the evenings with great excitement, wondering what will be behind it. As you know my brother has a different advent house and when he saw mine he was very jealous. After a few years parts of his house are already deteriorating. He informed his wife that he is ordering a new Christmas Advent House from you. Wishing you all a most joyous holiday season! - Jon and Tina Hade First off, I'd like to say "Thank You" for building such a beautiful house for us! Our family is delighted at the newest addition to our holiday decorations! We tried another company at first for a house but unfortunatly, was deeply let down. But a friend of ours found this site and encouraged us to try it, and so glad we did! I can not express enough the attention to detail that the house has! Also we love the 'added extras' to each house to add more personal feelings to it! For those others who may be on the waiting list all I have to say is please be patient and you will not be disappointed! We were so pleased to find this compny, and once we discovered that each house was made with so much pride (as well as love), we were sold! This house will no doubt become a family heirloom and will be passed down to our daughter and hopefully her children. Blessings to all of your family and keep up the fabulous work! - The Kauffman Family The advent house arrived. It is an amazing piece of craftsmanship. I am sitting here enjoying Christmas. You and your wife have truly done a beautiful job. Thanks also for the custom plaque and "little detail". Great touches! When my husband, Ryan, first told me he had ordered the Christmas Advent House I was thrilled. So, when he woke me early this morning on our tenth wedding anniversary to present me with the house, it was like an early Christmas morning. My two children, under strict adult supervision, opened each window with wonder. The graphics behind each window are gorgeous, each one more so than the next. No detail has been spared in completing this project. There is just no comparison to this house when it comes to the Advent genre. It is beautifully crafted and wonderfully detailed... Thank you both for your passion and commitment. - The Benedict Family Raymond, what can I say to express how wonderful this Advent House is. The craftsmanship is extraordinary the pictures are beautiful. This house will be a family heirloom for sure. The only problem is I have three children so I guess I have to order two more houses so they wont fight over who gets it. Thank you so much for building these houses they are wonderful. I would love to hear the story someday on how this all began and what you had to go through to have a finished product with such great craftsmanship and detail. All my friends and family are very jealous. I plan on taking pictures and putting them on facebook, although this may take a while since I am not very computer savoy. Once again thank you so much I could not be more happy. - The Shultz Family Raymond, I know you have spoken with my wife, but I wanted to personally thank you for getting our house out in time for Christmas. I am blown away with the quality and detail you have integrated into the construction of this. This will truly be an heirloom piece in our family for generations. Our youngest daughter is coming down from Colorado to join us here in Texas for Christmas and I can't wait to see her reaction when she sees the piece for the first time. As I said, I have been trying to find this Advent House since 1989. This officially goes on record as the longest search I have ever conducted in my life trying to find something. Well it is finally here, lit up and proudly displayed in the entrance to our home. If it is at all possible with my anticipation building every day once I knew we were set to receive the house, it has truly exceeded my out of proportion expectations. Thanks again and Merry Christmas, - The Workman Family We received the house this afternoon. It's beautiful beyond words! Thanks again for all of your efforts! We will enjoy this art piece for the rest of our lives. - The Marin Family I was starting to think this day would never come, but I finally received my house today, and it was well worth the wait! It is awesome, much better than I expected. I can't believe the level of detail. I can't begin to imagine how long it took to painstakingly layer all the 3-dimensional snow piles on the eaves, in the crevices, etc. It really adds to the effect and makes the house look very realistic. Instead of just painted on, it looks like each number was carved into the wood, and I don't know how anyone could cut out all those little fence posts. There's just so much to look at, so many small touches. Even the bricks are textured and have little grooves in between each one like real bricks do, where the mortar would go. It all really is amazing. Very professional. Thank you! - The Weaver Family Our Advent House has arrived....and we must say--it was so worth the wait!!!! You do such a wonderful job Raymond, and we are so excited to have such a unique decoration to display during our favorite time of year! - The Sawyer Family It is spectacular!!! It is beautiful!!! The quality is superb. Everything was in perfect condition. The packaging worked very effectively. All the components were thoughtfully organized. We're delighted and can't wait to unveil it as the centerpiece of our Christmas decorations. I will be happy to send you pictures come December and it's showcased amidst our collection of nutcrackers. - The Schleper Family THIS HOUSE IS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! We previously purchase another version of the house from someone else. We couldn't help but compare the two when we received it. The quality in this house definitely exceeded our expectations. I knew when I saw the pictures on your web site that if it was possible to obtain this Advent House, there was no doubt in my mind that it was going to be perfect for us. When we received it, my husband who is very particular about a solid construction, could not find any flaws compared to our original purchase which he said was "nice but he would have done it differently". My husband, has been in construction since he was 18. He is a General Contractor and owns a Commercial Construction company. He was so impressed! He said it was very professionally built. He was especially intrigued with the way the roof seams were completed. I want to thank you and your talented family for this treasure. It will remain a cherished part of our family Christmas celebrations for a many years to come. - The Johnson Family Words cannot express the awe that my husband and I feel when looking at our house. I have never seen such attention to detail and the absolute perfection of every aspect of this incredible family heirloom. I literally had chills as we assembled it. The loving care with which you built our house is so obvious in every icicle, window molding, widow's walk railing, everything! Even the way it was wrapped for shipping was incredible. It was absolutely worth the wait and we feel very fortunate to have such a treasure. You are very special individuals who take great pride in their work and craftsmanship. A real rarity these days. Thank you so much for the gift of your excellence. - The Almond Family After a long wait through two (different) manufacturers, my advent house finally arrived on a Thursday. Even though it was August, I knew I would keep it displayed until next New Year's Day. I had waited too long to lock it away in a closet so soon! Unpacking it from the box, I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning. With minimal assembly, I quickly opened all the shutters and doors and plugged in the cord. Turning the in-line switch, I watched the windows and doorway come alive. I couldn't take my eyes off it! The scenes in the windows are soft and soothing. I love the Victorian themed windows best. They remind me of a less hectic way of life, but I'll pass on the live candles on the tree! Weeks later, I'm still amazed by the detailed craftsmanship. All of the window trim, the dormers, and the doors are made of wood. I had assumed they would be molded plastic. The snow capped windows and the icicles hanging from the roof announce winter has arrived. The dentil molding over the windows is a great touch – just what you'd expect on a house this size. There's even a surprise detail! I'm so happy I kept searching and found this family run outfit in South Carolina. I couldn't be happier with their work, and I know I'll be enjoying my house for years to come! he house is here, and it's amazing!!! I love it!! The images in the windows are great, especially the Victorian themed ones. - The Reynolds Family We receive two (2) lovely testimonials: 1.) I was pleasantly surprised by the early delivery. I waited till my wife arrived home and announced her Christmas present was in the living room. I'm normally a stickler about waiting till Christmas Day to open presents but this was too good to keep under wraps. We both carefully unpacked the box and her reaction when she realized what she was looking at was priceless. We are ecstatic. Your house is a work of art! Your attention to detail and unparalleled workmanship is apparent in all facets of the finished house. The personal touches you added to make this "Our Advent House" were indeed appreciated. In just over a month, our daughter will be getting married. We will be entertaining many family and friends and the Hauck Family "Advent House" will be proudly displayed. This will be a very special Christmas and we have you Raymond and your wife to thank. From our family in Pensacola, Florida we want to wish you and your family a blessed and merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year. Cheers! 2.) I am overwhelmed! I have wanted one of these houses since I first saw the movie in the theaters! It is even better than I could have imagined, the way you personalized the home! The pictures in each window and the detail are awesome!! I can't wait for Christmas and decorating around it. I love the picture on your Facebook page with the tall Christmas Trees around it! Your work is exquisite! You can tell you love what you do! - The Hauck Family As you can see the house was a hit, my husband loved it and was really surprised. He's already figured out where it will sit when we decorate. Thanks again. - The Bucklin Family Our anniversary this year marked the end of an 8+ year quest. Actually, for as long as we can remember, my wife and I have wanted an Advent House, but then I got the idea to start poking around the Web to see if I could find one or learn to build one myself. The quest came to resounding successful finish! I finally got to see the look on my wife's face that I've waited to see, and it was worth every second. To those reading the testimonials on Raymond's site, I'd like to add something. They say a picture is worth 1000 words, but in this case that doesn't even come close. Even after looking at the pictures on this site weekly for 3 years, NOTHING could have prepared me for how incredible the house looked when I unboxed it. I knew the dimensions, I knew the details, I knew the enhancements I had chosen, I knew the weight, and I STILL had no clue what I was getting. To say I was floored would be a major understatement. The craftsmanship and obvious love that goes into these houses is apparent from the second you see them. - The Jowers Family My mother opened it this morning... and she cried. I have to say, the pictures do not begin to do this house justice; the craftsmanship, the elegance, the sheer beauty of it. Once assembled and lighted, my parents and I simply gazed at it for several minutes in reverent silence. It is *that* breathtaking. It took some debate and rearranging but it already has a prominent display spot for the coming season - in fact, Mom refused to put it away until decorating day, so it is out and will stay until after Christmas. We placed it on a shelf and my mother had a backdrop printed to enhance it. I thank you from the very bottom of my heart. - The Ziperman Family At long last, we received our Christmas Advent House, just in time for Thanksgiving. What a blessing it was! Thank you so much for your tremendous work! My wife, Chasitie, and I discovered your website about two years ago, and we immediately knew that we "had" to have an Advent House for our house. We put our names on the waiting list and patiently waited. In the meantime, we had our second child, and we quickly outgrew our own house. So, we bought a piece of land and began the long and arduous process of building a new home. We followed every newsletter and announcement, and we learned that you would be offering a few houses on a "first come, first served" basis last Fall. We were hopeful but not overly optimistic about our chances. Nevertheless, we both logged on for the big sales event, and Chasitie was fortunate enough to get in at just the right moment. Seconds later, we had confirmation of our order, and all we could do was wait with eager anticipation. Chasitie was so happy that I am not sure she even slept that night! As time passed, we would ask each other every few weeks whether we had heard from you or when we thought the house would arrive. You had promised the house before Christmas 2011. As the days got closer, we wondered more and more when our Advent House would arrive. In November 2011, our new home was finally finished. We moved in and began to get settled. Just days later, we received an e-mail from you, letting us know that our Advent House was ready to be delivered. The timing was impeccable. Within 10 days of moving into our new home, our new Advent Home was delivered. We proudly display it in our dining room, where it has taken a prominent and distinguished position. Our young children (ages 2 and 1) get excited to open a new window every morning, but I am not sure they appreciate it quite as much as their parents – at least not yet! We are so happy and thankful to have such a beautiful piece of Christmas in our new home. It certainly will be a treasured family heirloom for years and years to come. Thank you again. We wish you the best as you continue to make Christmas dreams come true! - The Walden Family Here is a picture of my beautiful house in it's new home! Thanks again! - The Raymond Family I can't tell you how much we love the house. It seems like we waited for it for so long and now since it is here I can defintely tell you it was worth the wait. It is truly a centerpiece for our Christmas...and will be for many more Christmas's to come. And I wanted to thank you so much for the service you provided us in ensuring that the house was perfect and was here for the Advent season. Everyone that has come to see the house has been amazed and taken back by how grand the house really is. Truly remarkable. Thank you so much.! - The Staiger Family I can't even begin to express the thanks for the absolutely beautiful advent house you have created for my family! The house is more beautiful than anyone could ever imagine. I have read all the other testimonials, and the one thing we all have in common is the agreement of just how wonderful this house is. You definitely put your heart and soul into building it, and it shows in every nook and cranny. We were so excited when the delivery man came and brought us this huge box. We knew what it was, but since it was a present for my husband, and he wasn't home, we waited until everyone in the family was together, and then opened it. It was like Christmas for all of us! I love all the details and the pictures (that is of the ones we have opened so far, today is the 12th of Dec.) are so neat! To everyone that is on the waiting list, or waiting for their house to be built, please remember to be patient. You want Raymond & family to put as much care into your house as they do all the houses they make. It is so worth it in the end. You can see the love and care that they put into the house, and they want everyone to love their advent house as much as they do. This is truly an heirloom to be handed down from generation to generation. I know we certainly will! Thank you Raymond & family again! Have a blessed Christmas and prosperous New Year! - The Holzem Family We received two amazing testimonials from the Eyen Family. This family moved their annual Christmas Party to coincide with the arrival of their Christmas Advent House. The first testimonial marks the House's arrival. The second is a review of their Christmas Party: 1.) The Christmas Advent House is something we anticipated for so long so we immediately assembled and then celebrated the its arrival. I'm sure you hear this often, but we think the Christmas Advent House is truly amazing. My husband Mark (a little bit of a perfectionist) is the official assembler in the house and he was so impressed with detail and sharp lines. We have lit the lights and opened the windows though today. Today we will add a little scene enhancement with snow and greenery from our Christmas village. We both love the house and you delivered way beyond our expectations. We'll send pictures next week. Merry Christmas. 2.) What a wonderful celebration it was! I only wish you could have been here to hear all the oohhs and aahhs! Everyone was enchanted by your Advent House! We even toasted to you and your elves with our special moose glasses! The first thing every guest said the minute they were in our front door was: "Well, where is it? Where is it?" And one by one their eyes would light up as got closer to the house. It was all we could do not to open all the windows, but I said no - if they wanted to see rest the gorgeous pictures, they would just have to come back after Christmas! Of course, we had to have a screening of the Christmas Vacation movie, and every time they showed the Advent House in the movie, everyone would stand and cheer! Thank you so much for finishing it in time. You and your family bring so much happiness to so many through your labors. Bless you all! I'm sorry not to have gotten back to you sooner, but I had to recover a little from our big celebration! You see, my health hasn't been very good this year and the one thing I wanted was to get the Advent House and enjoy it this Christmas, and because of you I could do just that. Have a wonderful Christmas, Raymond, and a joyous and prosperous New Year! All Our Best to You and Yours. - The Eyen Family (The following review is an update to the very first Advent House we built for the Puma Family. We recent gave the house an EXTREME MAKEOVER: CHRISTMAS ADVENT HOUSE EDITION! The house was refurbished with all our latest upgrades and additions) Just when I thought my Advent House couldn't be more perfect ...... it was given a "makeover". Since I was the very first customer, some details have been added over the years that I wanted on my house. The newer version of icicles and snow, windows, dentil molding, pictures, etc., are amazing! I really love it! After all these years, it's still "the gift that keeps on giving!" Thanks to you, Raymond, and your family for our cherished Advent House!! Happy Holidays. - The Puma Family We received the most precious handwritten letter from one of our Home Owners: Dear Raymond & Jacqueline, I want to thank you so much for the Advent House, for the attention to detail, for the care in putting a dream together and for the gentle handling and shipping of that dream. Thank you to jacqueline for wanting an Advent House and thus setting all this in motion! Although, the weather outside is not frightful, yet, my dreams or should I say, nightmares, have been! I'm hosting 17 people for Christmas dinner and my nightmares are such that there isn't a turkey roasting in the oven, the home baking just didn't get done, the gifts are not all wrapped and decorations are strewn everywhere, not to mention as in Christmas Vacation, the relatives arrive all quibbling. But then, I wake up to a new day, run to my beautiful Advent House, open a perfect little window, take time to admisre the lovely little picture inside, take a breath and know that this perfect house tells me that if in the day I complete my list of chores before I open another perfect little window, then my nightmares will not come true. When I open the doors of the Advent House to welcome everyone, I will be in a state of Grace. So thank-you for the most wonderful adornment to my home. Larry and I will treasure your work forever! - The Smith Family We got the new house and I am SO happy with it. As you know, I have one from a previous company, now defunct, and there is no comparison. The details and the quality of the work in the house I received from you is vastly superior. Christmas Eve night when everyone had headed for bed I turned off the lights and just admired the house for a while. It is so beautiful and will become a treasured part of every Christmas. I'm including a photo...I don't have it fully adorned yet (I'm thinking some trees, bushes, a picket fence, and maybe some other stuff in the future) but we'll work on it over the years to come. Again, I want to say "thank you!" to you and your family for making my Christmas even brighter! - The Hade Family