33 years of the Christmas Fantasy House

way to do it, too, because the Christmas Fantasy House, you can go to their place where they're entertaining their 33rd year, by the way, as well. That's right. Nicholas is getting into the holiday spirit at this year's location. Hey, Nick. Yeah. Hey, guys. Good morning to you. You know, if you are not in the holiday spirit just yet, I know Halloween was just on Saturday. You're in luck. I have just the place for you. Walking in the doors of this stunning home in Oconomowoc, you will just automatically feel like you are in a winter wonderland. And nobody knows that better than the organizers of the Christmas Fantasy House back for another year and even more spectacular than ever before. I'm so grateful now to be joined live by Becky Weedy. She's from the Ronald McDonald House, which, of course, Of course, all the proceeds from this event. Benefit, and then we have Connie Walters, who's on the committee for this fabulous event. Thank you for being here. Okay, so going into this event, kind of what was the goal for this year? Because I know that these homes have a reputation for just being so spectacular. How do you up the ante every year? It is difficult to up ourselves, yes, to up the ante with the decorations and so forth. But I think every year it comes together so fabulously. It offers such inspiration. The decorators do an incredible job. Good job. such pros at what they do. They know exactly, you know, they come early, they scope out the area, they even draw, you know, out what their vision is. It's really, really nice. It's so much fun to be a part of it. Oh, and it really shows when you walk through this house. I mean, the attention to detail here, guys, is just spectacular. Take a look at this bedroom here. You can see they thought of everything. They have even the headboard is decorated. It's just stunning. But even though, of course, this event really gets us into the holiday spirit, it also supports local businesses. It's really about benefiting a really wonderful So, Becky, for folks at home who maybe aren't familiar, what kind of services does the Ronald McDonald House provide? Well, what we really want to do is keep families close. So we offer a warm room, warm meals, a comfortable room, warm meals. And a place for families to stay when their child is receiving medical care. That's one of the most stressful times and we're trying to eliminate stresses and financial burdens for families. There is no cost for families to stay at the Ronald McDonald House. So our average stay is eight and a half days. And we really, there is supportive programming throughout the house and we just cater to families and we're supportive to them. I can imagine, too, that it's really lovely for families to be with other families who are going through the same thing, right? Because it's important to have that support when you're going through a difficult time. That is exactly right. We provide dinners every night for families, and it's just such a relief when they come back from the hospital and they see familiar faces, not only in our staff, but with other families, and they actually build connections that last way longer than they leave the Ronald McDonald House. So that's a great thing for us. And obviously because everything that you offer is free for guests and families who come to stay, what does it mean to you to have the Christmas Fantasy Home supporting your wonderful organization? We are just so grateful. It just means so much. And when families get into the holiday spirit and they're at the house, the Ronald McDonald House, it's hard sometimes. So all this money and proceeds that are coming in just really benefit the families and just keep them together and bring them into the holiday cheer. as well. Oh, I can only imagine. Oh my gosh. Okay. So now Connie, I got to talk to you. I did notice, I took a quick whip around the house, just the first floor, at least. And I did notice a little bit of a trend here. It seems like there's a lot of natural elements coming in. Is there outside in? Yes. Is that the theme for this year? So there isn't a theme necessarily. Um, but those are, it's Christmas of all kinds. You know, we, we do have whimsy Christmas. We have Santa Christmas. We have vintage Christmas, but we do have a lot of what you said where the outside is kind of We have the feathers and the pine and the twigs and things like that. So, yeah, we even have a Ronald McDonald house room. It's completely done in McDonald. It's great. It is great. There's grimace. You know, it's like all old school McDonald's. It's really fun. For everybody here, of course. Everybody. Yes. So for folks at home who maybe have never been to this before, what can they expect when they come? All right. So you can't come to the home itself. There is a shuttle and the shuttle is at the Lake Country Dockhounds. And admission at the door, you can pay at the door. You can go online and pay online. It's $25 entry. And like we said, all the proceeds go to Ronald McDonald House. And then they'll just be in for just magical splendor. There is a raffle. The raffle is the biggest this year. A silent auction is the biggest this year that it's ever been. We also have a We have a sweet shop too. It's just lots to do. You could spend the whole day here, actually. After being in this house, I mean, it's so big, it's so magnificent, it's so stunning. I feel like people could easily do that. Now, this house is also for sale, is that right? Yes. Oh, right. Victory Homes. Thank you for bringing that in. Yes, they've been lovely partners. This is the fourth model home that they've donated for us. So they are just wonderful to work with. They are Johnny on the spot. You know, we had a toilet go down the other day and they, I mean, that's, it's nice to say on television, right? We've said worse. So, I mean, they are, like, right here to fix things. They put extra outlets in for us. They hang lights. They, you know, they've just been wonderful. They've been absolutely, they closed down. This is a model home. They've closed down the model for us so we could have our event here. So, again, they've just been nothing but spectacular, really. And for folks who maybe want a new home for the holidays, I feel like this will be pretty nice. Move in ready. Seriously. Guys, I'm going to give you another look here around this bedroom. This is just a small taste of what you can see all throughout this house. For the Christmas Fantasy House for this year, they're open all week long. And, again, you can just get a ticket right at the door. Just drive, park your car at the Lake Country Dockhounds, and then they'll shuttle you over here. And, guys, I mean, I... I think I understand how people would think, okay, well, Halloween was just on Saturday, the leaves are still super vibrant, but walking into these doors, first step in, they've got the Christmas candles going, you can smell it, like it is, it's the holiday season. You feel it as soon as you walk in. That's just one part of it. Thank you so much, Nicola. Looks great. Nicola is out at the Christmas Fantasy House. Nicola, that house looks amazing. What else can you show us today? Thank you for being here today. Thank you. Yeah, hey guys, good morning. This place is amazing. It is so ready to go for Christmas. Every single room, every single corner is filled with stunning decorations and the hearth is no exception. I'm now joined live by Amy Skaggs of Bay House Collection. They're located in Oconomowoc and you were telling me about your business, Amy, and about how, you know, yes, of course, you have decor like this, but you have a lot of other things, gifts, clothes. Tell our viewers at home what they can expect when they come to see you. Absolutely. We're located in Oconomowoc, right off of Brown Street, and it's exactly right. We have men's and women's fashion, along with a whole entire baby section. Of course, decor, home accessories, jewelry, shoes, it's a big department store. And this has got to be great exposure for your business. I can imagine having all these people come through and get just a small sample of what you sell at your store. Absolutely. We've got some brochures here. If you come through, there's a coupon in the back. I noticed that. Very nice. Love a good coupon this time of year. Absolutely. So come on and see us, and we'd love to take care of any holiday needs. And I'm sure you can absolutely do that. Now, I understand you all first saw the house in May, and so ever since then, all the designers here have been planning for what they're going to do for their room leading up, of course, to today. And you guys got the hearth room. And so you're saying the hearth here, which is beautiful. I don't know if you guys can see, has a little Lovely black and white marble detail, that was really your inspiration for this space. Absolutely, my coworker and I, Amelia, she's our store manager, we saw the house in May and then again in July, which obviously had progressed, had the finishing touches with the black and white. We named that the Gilded Hearth and kind of based all of our decorations off of that, elevated and really curated Kind of the whole space here on just that alone. We were talking to you about this theme that we're seeing in holiday decor this year about bringing the outside in. So a lot of natural elements. You all accomplished that beautifully in this room, but it's also really kind of glamorous and sophisticated too. Yeah, it's great because some of the things you can find right outside and bring them in and they can become sort of a winter theme as well as Christmas and last a little bit longer into that February time. For sure, because I know there's people like me who just get so sad when they have to take their holiday decorations down. These kinds of touches, the greens, the neutral colors, you really certainly don't have to. So I have to ask you, like, this is incredible. How long did it take you? Once you were in the room, you kind of had your vision. To do all of this like what was the what was the process like? Absolutely. Well it's a lot of obviously packing the decorations, unpacking them. We kind of tried to map it out ahead of time but honestly it is about 10 hours times two because two of us did it. Oh wow. So it's about 20 hours of really Putting things together and then stepping back and kind of retweaking and adding and... Editing and zhuzhing. Absolutely, zhuzhing is the word, right? And just really making this space feel that magical. You know, touch. Oh, gosh. And you've certainly accomplished that. And also a great way to kind of showcase your projects, or your products, excuse me, what you offer. I mean, we have this lovely little, I don't know if you guys can see it, but like a hat ladder, I'm going to call it. Because people obviously need warm accessories for this time of year. You've got that all covered. Of course, entertaining. Cozy in by the fireplace. Yeah. Yes. Cozy in, yeah. It's so thoughtful. And then you have the entertaining stuff as well. Like, I love this cheese tray here for folks. The glassware. All of this people can find in your store. Absolutely. So come on to the store and we can kind of direct you as far as what you saw at the Fantasy House and things like that. And we just feel so blessed to be, again, part of the Christmas Fantasy House and being able to help those families at the Ronald McDonald for such a great cause. And I'm sure they love having you. So again, yes, that is Mayhouse Collection is one of the fabulous designers that you can find here at the Christmas Fantasy House that is located in the Village of Summit. They are open every day until November. Number eight, guys, this place is worth the trip, let me tell you. It is just wonderful. Do we have to get tickets ahead of time, or can we just go there? What does that look like? Oh no, Derica, you can just come right here to the house and buy your ticket right at the door. You can't park here, so what you do is you drive your car to the Lake Country Dockhounds lot, leave it there, and then they have shuttles that are driving constantly that have drop-offs at the house. Nicola, did you see a decoration that you're like, I have to buy this, I have to use this in my decor? Thank you. Thank you, Cor. You say a decoration. You know me too well. Okay, I kind of want to up my entertaining game because I'd like to have a Christmas party this year. And so I really love this. I love the way that this whole like banquet here is set up. I love that. I also love this because I feel like you can never have too many ornaments. You know, this is this place is dangerous. I'll say that if you love Christmas, you love decorations, you love beautiful things. The Christmas Fantasy House has no shortage of those things to shop and look for. Oh, I'm getting a lot of inspiration. I love the color palette of it all, too, in each different room. It's beautiful. It's some really good stuff. And I'll be watching my inbox for the invite for the big party. Party over there. Party at Nicola's house. Oh, my gosh. No pressure. Just saying. Oh, okay. Okay. She's like, I'm talking to you. I'm sorry. Thanks, Nicola. Let me say this. No, obviously. I didn't realize I was still on camera. Obviously. Top of the invite list. Ha ha ha ha ha! That's funny. All right, thanks, Nick. Oh, my God. So I will say this, being somebody that's been at the house for years, that I felt like disappointed not being able to go out there this year. And Nicola was so very excited to go out there. I think she's going to hunker down for a bit. She may not see her tomorrow. She might spend the entire day there. Such a great cause, though, as you guys know. Beautiful. In 33 years, they've been doing it. More Fox 6 Real Milwaukee. After the break.