Riikka’s enchanting Christmas home with dazzling gingerbread houses and a four-story elf door: “I create my own Christmas bubble”
Years ago Riikka wanted to create a fairytale-like Christmas for her children. The children have now grown up, but the home’s Christmas magic has only deepened. This year, inspiration comes from the Mamma Mia musical film.
Riikka and Vellu Huttunen along with their children Maria, Arttu and Jenni live with their four chihuahuas in a wooden house. Until Midsummer, the house doesn’t differ much from the neighbors’, but after that things start happening. Christmas lights appear in the yard and stars go up in the windows as early as August, once days start getting shorter. Behind the front door lies a true Christmas wonderland.
Home: A detached house built in 2008 in Vantaa, Finland, with five rooms and a kitchen, totaling 105 square meters (about 1,130 sq. ft.).
Who lives here: Riikka and Vellu Huttunen, their children Maria, Arttu, and Jenni, along with chihuahuas Eeva, Liisa, Laura, and Heidi.
Follow on social media: @thetonttuovi
in The living room a log-built elf cottage catches the eye. Riikka and Vellu started building it six years ago. Riikka used to read the children books illustrated by Rien Poortvliet, and Jenni fell in love with them. One Christmas she wished for a real elf cottage, just like in those books. Construction began in secret from the children three months before Christmas.
“We finished it by Christmas. Vellu insisted that if we do it, we do it properly. There are at least a hundred log joints in the cottage, each one hand-notched by him. We disguised it as Dad’s secret work project. Sometimes we worked well past midnight out in the yard,” Riikka says.
The interior of the log cabin continues to evolve. Every year, Riikka buys Maria Malmström’s dollhouse Advent calendar, which contains wooden miniature items to be finished by hand. Finished items by different people can be found on Instagram. Last year’s calendar included a miniature roombox that Riikka turned into an elf workshop, a plane, a weather vane, and a chandelier.
“Our next dog will be named Joulu (‘Christmas’). Then I can call for Christmas all year long.”
Most of the Advent calendar items end up in the elf cottage or the elf door. Riikka has published her own social media advent calendar for ten years, originally for her own children and then for a wider family circle. Now, the elf door calendar delights all Christmas enthusiasts on Instagram, and it has even helped rekindle some lost holiday spirit.
“Sometimes our Christmas has a theme. This year it’s Mamma Mia, sparked by our love of those movies and by Greece, where we went to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. We’ve also done an American Home Alone Christmas in the past,” Riikka says.
Read more: A four-story elf house built right into the wall! “I believe the next level will surprise you,” says Riikka, who has been working on her elf door for 10 years. [in Finnish]
Seashells are part of the Mamma Mia theme. They adorn the Christmas tree, the Christmas Eve cake, and are scattered throughout the home. The blue color of the gift wrap is inspired by the Mamma Mia movies, and even the gingerbread house got a Greek twist.
“When I travel, I keep an eye out for houses to model gingerbread houses after. I take photos and draw up patterns based on them. The girls have also caught the building bug and invite friends over to make their own creations before Christmas.”
“When Christmas finally arrives, winter is already halfway gone.”
“The darkness and cold of winter can be tough, but the end of summer isn’t so bad once I start my Christmas preparations early. By Midsummer, Christmas is already on my mind, and by August or September I’m usually happily anchored in my Christmas harbor.”
By December, most things are ready, so Riikka can spend the entire month simply enjoying the magic.
“I create my own Christmas bubble. I recharge and gather my strength so I can be a more complete person in the year ahead. It’s like I rebuild myself every December,” Riikka says.
