Premium

Elves on the shelves — and ladders and roofs

By , Special to The Daily Memphian Updated: November 10, 2025 10:47 AM CT | Published: November 10, 2025 4:00 AM CT

Jack Alberts and Jordan Veilleux wanted to start a business setting up Christmas lights in the Memphis area, but they had a problem. There was a lot of competition, which meant they needed to find a reason for people to pick their service instead of similar ones other landscaping companies already offered. 

One night as they brainstormed ideas, Alberts’ fiancee Nicole Ungaro joked they should wear elf costumes while they install the lights. At first Alberts and Veilleux laughed. But as they thought about it more, they realized she might be on to something. 

“It was one of those laughing but serious moments where you go, ‘That’s actually a fantastic idea,’” Alberts said. “The more we thought about it, it was a really good differentiator.”

This is an excerpt of this story. To read more, please click here and subscribe.

Topics

Subscriber Only Christmas Christmas lights

It’s GivingTuesday week! Will you join the celebration?

Donate now to help power our free community news access program.

You
know the value of having unlimited access to The Daily Memphian’s news. When you subscribe, you get full access to our news. But when you donate, you help us reach all Memphians with quality, in-depth local news through
  • free access at over 300 schools and libraries
  • free podcasts and radio broadcasts
  • free newsletters
  • and more!
Pay it forward. Make a fully tax-deductible donation to The Daily Memphian today. 

Thank you for keeping up with local news. Thank you for investing in our community. 

John Klyce

John Klyce is a freelance writer for The Daily Memphian.


Comments

Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here