Famous Christmas House in Elmira Closing After Nearly Four Decades

It's the end of an era. The famous Christmas House in New York will close for good after nearly four decades.

The magic of the holidays will soon come to an end inside the house known as the Painted Lady in Elmira, New York. The holiday heaven is home to nearly a million different Christmas decorations. But on Sunday, December 26 the doors will shut for the final time.

The 1894 Queen Anne mansion, painted in 16 different colors, is owned by Julie and Mark Delgrossos who have decided after 39 years, it's time to retire. The couple bought the Christmas House in 1993, expanded, and loaded six different rooms with tens of thousands of holiday decor items.

The Christmas House is open from July to December every year and visitors travel from miles around to stroll through the aisles and aisles of holiday decorations. Last year there were more than 98,000 Christmas items in their inventory.

Take a tour of the Painted Lady on Maple Avenue in Elmira this holiday season before it closes for good on December 26. If you can't make it in person, you can tour the Christmas House in the photos below, taken by photographer John Kucko. You can also see more pictures from John Kucko Digital on Facebook. Check out the 2021 Finger Lakes Region Calendar, filled with Kucko's best shots of the region, with proceeds benefiting the Autism Nature Trail at Letchworth State Park.