Lighting Up the Holidays

Like a hand in glove, fireworks and the Fourth of July and the warm feelings evoked by a baby’s smile, there are some things that couldn’t be more fitting.  

Such is the case with Elf Bros Christmas Lighting, a Marco Island business that specializes in artistically decorating homes and businesses, both inside and out, for the Yuletide season. The phrases “one-stop-shop” and “all-inclusive” capture the businesses’ approach to delivering the visual accents that capture the holiday spirit.  

Elf Bros Christmas Lighting designs, installs, maintains, and then removes its installations, so there’s no muss or fuss for customers. As stated in the company’s promotional material, “Whether you want a simple design or you want your house to be seen from space, the Elf Bros can do it all.”  

It was seven years ago that siblings Nicky and Vinny Frisone, and Nicky’s wife, Renata, opened for business. Nicky and Renata are the company’s primary operators, with Renata handling design aspects. A staff that averages 10 workers assists with projects. 

The company’s backstory gives the impression that destiny played a role in its creation, given the siblings’ affinity for Christmas, which began at their childhood home in Broward County.  

“Growing up, our dad always lit up our house and our home was always the brightest one in the neighborhood,” explained Nicky about the family’s Broward County residence. “We had people lining up to see it. Also, my name is Nicholas, like Saint Nicholas.I'm named after Santa Claus himself. So we just always had a love for Christmas.”  

Naturally, that passion for the season accompanied him after moving his family to North Naples eight years ago and continuing the decorating tradition his father established.  

“I have three little girls, so I decorated my home,” said Nicky. “And then the neighbors were like, that looks really professional, not like lights from Home Depot, you know. Everything's custom. They were like, ‘Hey, can you do my house?’ So I said to my brother, ‘I think we got something here.’ So that's kind of how the lighting took off. It wasn't even a plan. It was just people asking me to help them. And then I just realized there was more to it.”  

The “Elf” portion of the company name has its roots in two facts, one cinematic and the other physical.  

“I always laugh because we're short little Italians,” said Nicky. “And my favorite movie and my favorite Christmas movie is ‘Elf’ with the character of ‘Buddy the Elf.’ So it was like, this is the perfect name: we're brothers, we're elves, my favorite movie's ‘Elf.’ So it kind of just naturally came to me.” 

His affection for Christmas even extends to the names of two of his and his wife’s children. Natalie – which means Christmas in Italian – is seven, while their four-year-old daughter is named Noelle, a French name for the holiday. The youngest is two-year-old Lulu.  

“My wife is from Brazil, and she's said, ‘I'm naming this one, you're not,’ Nicky said with a chuckle. “’You don't have a choice.’” 

 The company’s services aren’t restricted to only Christmas.  

“We do Halloween. We'll light up whatever holiday you celebrate,” said Nicky. “We also offer color-changing lights, which are really neat. There are a lot of homes we could go to in October, install the lights, and then they have a little remote to change their colors to do fall colors after Halloween and then they could change them to Christmas.” 

Elf Bros began with residential projects, eventually adding commercial work, such as for Homeowners Associations and at Paddy Murphy’s Irish Pub on Marco. This year, the company has added hotels, such as the Hilton Naples to its client list.  

Nicky said the business has been and continues to be in growth mode thanks to positive word of mouth and aggressive digital marketing, including utilizing social media platforms. 

Aside from its name, the company also garners attention with the eye-catching, Christmas-themed decorations on its fleet of trucks.  

“One thing I wanted to do is differentiate myself,” said Nicky. “There are a lot of ‘blah, blah outdoor lighting’ companies. We do Christmas lighting, but we do all kinds of lighting. Our trucks, with the Santas and reindeer, when they’re on the road, I want everyone to be staring at them. So I wanted to differentiate myself and just go all into the Christmas branding. And I think that's how I really separate myself. When you see a competitor on the road versus me, there're no questions asked about what we do.”  

For more information about Elf Bros Christmas Lighting, please visit elfbros.com/ or call 766-6134.