Illinois—Move out holly trees, plastic blow molds, LED lights and synchronized music, because we all need a little Christmas. We collected the best residential (and a liquor store) holiday lighting in the Chicago area submitted by readers. From towering reindeer and glowing pigs to the weirdest Clark W. Griswold displays you can see from space, these spectacular light displays are definitely worth a visit.
This year, we will award a $100 Amazon gift card for the best display effect, so please email your photo and description to lorraine.swanson@patch.com before December 13th. Don't forget to include your address.
Some of you are so excited that you forgot to include your address, so please check your email. Send us some photos and/or a link to your Christmas lights display video. We prefer the homeowner to submit his or her own yard, or immediate neighbors or close relatives.
So please set up your GPS and explore the display areas near your town, or go crazy and visit all of them. We will continue to update the list until December 24th, so please pay close attention to your daily morning newsletter and Patch Facebook page.
7807 W. 74th Place, Bridgeview — Jim Pavel, known as "Clark W. Griswold of Bridgeview", is the third generation lawn decorator. Since the early 1960s, his family has been engaged in decoration work. Jim's light display is a combination of decorations brought by the store and homemade decorations. The computer light show is synchronized with several Christmas songs and played on the radio station, so you can enjoy it in the warm car. This year he added a quartet Christmas tree. For more than 40 years, Jim has been decorating and helping his grandfather decorate the lights when he was a child. The monitor plays from 4 to 10 every night
1828 Brown Ave, Evanston — Carlos Martinez did a great job in his house. His birth is beautiful.
March of the Pigs, 2708 W. 90th Place, Evergreen Park — Jennifer Obecunas holds the unofficial Guinness World Record for the brightest pig in the holiday courtyard display. This quirky exhibition displays hundreds of glowing pigs. Guinness told Jennifer that to officially become the world record holder, she needs 1,000 pigs. We think she should start putting pigs on her roof. One of our favorites and must stop during the tour.
8848 West 92nd Place, Hickory Hills-Get ready to be attracted by Michal Selvek's dazzling display in Hickory Hills.
4546 W. 89th Place, Hometown-The Unforgive Halloween display at Hometown has changed from scary to cheerful! Business hours are from 4pm to 9pm every day. It has a lot of lights, old-fashioned blow molds, and Disney style.
Homestead's nightmare before Christmas, 836 Homestead Road, La Grange Park — "Jack Skellington came here from Halloween Town. You will notice his handicrafts scattered everywhere. This year he decided to play Sandy Claws, but when Halloween creates Christmas Sometimes, you may see some flaws." As the winner of the Patch Scary Yard Tour, Don Coglianese and his family set their sights on the elaborate "Nightmare Before Christmas".
Spread Joy, 916 South Ashland Ave., LaGrange — Ingrid Kwak spreads joy by collecting non-perishable food and toiletries in a collection box by the road. In 2020, the family collected and donated more than 8,000 items to the local pantry, and plans to produce 10,000 items this year. Come and enjoy the lights and Candy Cane Lane, where you can find candy canes, music and great photo opportunities for the kids on weekends.
Lit Lemont, 13760 Kettering Parkway Circle, Lemont — DiSabatos, formerly known as Lit Lockport, packed up their holiday light show and took it apart in Lemont. Lit Lemont provides fun for the whole family, including 5,000 well-designed lights, synchronized with interesting combinations of festival and party music. Drive and turn your car radio to 92.9 FM to hear the lights. Please be polite to your neighbors and don't block their library.
Chuchla Family Lights, 12032 Centre Drive, Lemont — A fun Christmas light show synchronized with music. The show runs until January 6th: Sunday to Thursday from 5 to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday from 5 to 11 pm. The show is broadcast at least at 2 am on Christmas Eve, so you can enjoy it after the church service at midnight. Tune the car radio to 95.1 FM to listen to music. The program is played continuously in 70-minute loops, with an 8-minute intermission between each loop.
2524 S. 8th Ave., North Riverside — Every Saturday between noon and 7 pm, Santa Claus will stop in this cheerful performance.
4436 Lisa Lane, Oak Forest — Parker Tade displayed most of his family’s Christmas decorations. We think he has a great temperament. The lighting is synchronized with various Christmas songs. The lights are on from 4:30 pm to 11 pm
14808 Temple St., Oak Forest — Thanks to Johnny Jones’ yard, the oak forest is full of light.
10337 S. Kenneth, Oak Lawn — Claire Smith submitted this light show photo of her father Phil Smith. According to Claire, most of their neighbors decorated their houses, so they went there to enjoy the winter miracle.
10111 S. Kildare Ave., Oak Lawn — John and Tracy Schorle’s exhibition shows a towering tree of light. The lights are all RGB computer controlled lights, set to music. Tune to 88.1 FM to listen. Look at the pair of 10-foot tall trees talking to each other. Three songs were played in the 10-minute light show.
Christmas at Furry Lane, 10225 Washington Ave., Oak Lawn — Christmas is a furry event at Velma Schwien’s house, consisting of live actors Winter Wolf or Galaxy Wolf, music lights and flashing snowmen.
9612 S. Natoma Avenue, Oak Lawn — Pat and Linda Pulver turned their front yard into a cane forest. Mention of his wife's name should keep Pat away from the naughty list.
Snowman House, 9929 Harnew Road West, Oak Lawn — Burl Ives will love the "Snowman House" of the Lionberg family. More than 80 snowmen were piled up in Lionbergs’ yard and in the neighbor’s yard. We are sure that they have accumulated some more since last year. People can stop from 6 to 10 in the afternoon and even take a photo with the snowman.
9704 S. Tripp Ave., Oak Lawn — Come and see Brian Mayo's wonderful display at Oak Lawn, where there are thousands of flashing lights. He launched a light battle against everyone.
9224 S Tripp Ave, Oak Lawn — Larry Tripp has been lighting up his house for years. Over the years, his exhibits have continued to grow, but so have trees. "I did this without a ladder, so my reach was limited, even though I did use a ladder to climb to the top of the house." We are glad that Larry did not climb the tree, and neither did his wife Mary Kay. Larry's backyard also looks great.
Old Orland Winter Wonderland, 10260 W. 144th Street, Orland Park — This fascinating exhibition has hundreds of thousands of lights on the four corners of homes and properties, and displays their 50-foot-long evergreen trees in the front yard, brightly lit , And there are 6-foot-tall reindeer in the herd yard. The lights are on from 5pm to midnight
8518 W 157th St., Orland Park — Elegant residence, beautifully furnished. We like the small house on the front lawn and a projector.
16551 Brigitte Court, Orland Hills - Welcome to the Kruger Christmas Light Show, where the trees talk and sing. Turn to 90.3FM on your car radio and enjoy the show.
14601 Poplar Court, Orland Park — In this shining exhibit, nothing is bare on the Harske family lawn, covered with more than 300 blow molds, and ruled by a 10-foot-tall snowman and Christmas tree. The latest to join is an 8-member choir. Lights up every day from dusk to 11:30 in the evening
15441 Sunset Ridge Dr, Orland Park-The Quinn family likes to use blow molds and other figures to decorate the night sky.
12311 S 69th Court, Palos Heights — An elegant combination of red, green and white light displayed by Palos Heights. Animated holiday projections play music outside the window. The basketball backboard also lights up. Lights up from 6pm to midnight.
Santa's Corner, 14846 Whipple St., Posen — Dean and Natalie’s Sortarican goal is to make people smile. They decorated their house and the whole corner with lights. In the last writing, Dean added more lights.
Santa Claus Village, 144 North Delaplaine, Riverside — The Sharp House brings back the early memories of the East Dundee Christmas Theme Park, where children can visit Santa in the 90-degree weather in mid-July. This walk through Santa Claus Village is entirely handmade. All houses are built and decorated for Christmas. There is also an inflatable Santa that can be photographed, and a homemade replica of the historic riverside tower. We recommend adding a safe pop tree next year. Astonishing.
Duff House, 140 N Delaplaine Rd, Riverside-A few doors away from Sharp House is Clark Griswold's grand event. This complete walking display features Santa’s sleigh, where you can sit and take photos with nine little reindeer (including Rudolph). From a 6-foot-tall Grinch dancing with Max to a Santa Claus dancing and singing, there is also a forest of trees lit up. Even the elf Buddy and Clark Griswold appeared. If you are in the riverside area, be sure to stop in this neighborhood.
5024 Fargo Ave., Skokie — There is nothing we love more than a synchronized light display with a good playlist. Tune your radio to 89.7 FM to watch Jones Brobbey's cheerful light show.
Christmas Land Display, 7830 Whittington Dr Tinley Park — We love the medieval display by Nick and Sheena Schuber, which dates back to the 1960s and includes vintage sleighs and reindeer teams on the roof. There is even Jolly Polk Santa of Polk Brothers, considered the holy grail of blow molds, dominating more than 200 old blow mold figurines. Visit Schubers' Facebook page and play their Christmas I Spy game, where you can find the numbers in their display. On certain nights, Santa Claus will listen to Christmas greetings and take pictures in front of the door. The yard is lit from 5pm to midnight until December 23, and the real Santa’s sleigh will be guided to Tinley Park at dawn on December 24 and December 25; December 26 to January 6 From 5 to 10 o'clock on the day.
8719 Kathleen Lane, Tinley Park — Jim Kuhn’s winter hotspot has a lot of flashing lights and explosions. Aircraft with flashing runways and helicopters with flashing aprons are the highlights of the show. It will definitely attract a few planes from the midway airport.
8706 Kathleen Lane, Tinley Park — This is a walking show, so prepare to show off the car.
16409 Surrey Drive, Tinley Park-We can only say that Tinley Park is a brightly lit village. The elegant arches and wall of lights in Timothy Bartz's courtyard gleam like metal wires.
Snowman House, 7414 W. 161st St., Tinley Park — The Monreal family’s display last year caused a sensation. We like the snowman face in the garage.
O'Connor Christmas Lighting, 7414 W. 162nd Place, Tinley Park-Scott O'Connor has been lighting his house and yard throughout November. He invited tourists to tune to 105.7 FM in their car and then go out and look around. He is collecting donations for "Together We Cope".
Blow Mold Village, 17037 Creekside Ave, Tinley Park – My God! We love Patrick Coyne's "Blow Molding Village" in Tinley Park. His display featured more than 125 blow-molded figurines in his yard, hosted by a 20-foot-tall inflatable Santa. He continues to add works every year and turns his children's playhouse into a display.
1827 Portsmouth Ave, Westchester — Peter Marzano connects his light display and remote control lights to WiFi and RIF.
Candy Cane Canyon, 371 Canyon Trail, Carol Stream — elaborate displays including a life-size gingerbread house, a 9-foot nutcracker, 20 trees decorated by elves and snowmen, and synchronized lighting. Tuned to 1010.5 FM. You have to check it out!
7809 Farmingdale Drive, Darien — Gabrielle Walker nominates her husband Brent and hopes everyone can enjoy his hard work in his lovely light display.
2308 College Road, Downers Grove-Stop to enjoy the festive fun at Diane Duncan's whimsical holiday display, where there are inflatable toys and music for the family to enjoy. The lights are on from 5 pm to 9 pm to New Year's Day. If weather permits, inflatable toys can be used.
The lights of Pinebrook, 880 Pinebrook Drive, Lombard — Roll down the window and listen to the music in sync with Dan Tobin's light show.
417 S. Sleight St., Naperville — Nikki Svejda and Marc Poulos are new members of the Naperville community. Their exhibits show a 7-foot-tall stuffed Santa Bear and an 8-foot-tall musical nutcracker. There is a Santa’s mailbox that is checked every day. Nikki and Marc couldn't satisfy the children's wishes, but tried their best to return the letter to the children's parents. Welcome Looky-loos to take a photo with Big Bear.
704 W Jefferson Ave., Naperville — One of many light wars in Naperville. Good luck, Caroline Sennetal.
1021 E. Illinois St., Wheaton – Michael Evans started his Christmas lights before Halloween. He is proud of providing beautiful lights to the community. He always adds new ideas and his creativity to the lighting. Dinosaurs are the most needed items for the little boys nearby. They eagerly asked when "Dino" would appear.
Foss Family Light Show, 3130 Whirlaway Lane, Montgomery — a combination of pixels and LED lights, featuring giant trees, ice queens, matrices, arches, and many lawn props. Music is played from 4:30 to 9:30 every afternoon and 107.7 FM is listened to . This will really get stuck in your mind.
Hope and Joy, 269 Landfield Road, Batavia — Eric Rud’s beautiful display is highlighted by sidewalk arches, snowflake walls and big stars on the roof.
603 Oswego Forest Avenue — Jim and Sue Svehla light up Oswego for its 22nd year, which includes dozens of old blow molds. "When I set it up, I thought that if a 10-year-old child saw it 22 years ago, and they are now 32 years old, they might also bring their children over to see the lights. I try to do it in small scenes. The setting is not just about putting them in any old way, such as Santa Claus with trees and gifts, and the North Pole with snowmen, polar bears and penguins. Also, Mickey and Minnie are singing carols."
Oswego Lights 701 N Sparkle Ct, Oswego — More than 45,000 lights are synchronized with Scott and Emily Bialas' one-hour music program, including two giant trees, candy canes, snowflakes and more. amazing!
602 Plymouth Ct, Oswego — Omar Sandoval's exquisite display provides cuddle bears and LED lighting.
Borgetti Holiday Light Show, 301 High Point Dr, Lindenhurst — Borgetti’s avant-garde light show has 4,500 individual pixels, all pixels are programmed according to music, including a giant 20-foot tall tree.
1851 Broadsmore Drive, Algonquin — Christian Family's Snoopy display has 108 candy canes and 30 Snoopy. Can you find them?
1210 Menoma Trail, Algonquin — Mike Gifford likes to make people smile under "old school" lights. "When we are walking on the street, we like to look at the house. Neighbors seem to like it too," wrote his wife LeAnn. "We are trying to do more every year."
5840 Highland Lane, Lakewood Village — Jen and Tom Allen's stunning Currier and Ives displays show life-size nativity, Santa Claus and reindeer. The lights are on from 4pm to midnight.
26158 Oakridge Court, Channahan — This year, Jerry Kosek will be in the Ground Zero-themed Twilight Zone, suitable for the weird 2020. The animation is projected on one side of the house, synchronized with the talking and singing faces in front of the house, and there are lights on the other side of the house. Jerry's also added a fog machine this year to make DMX lasers and moving head lights stand out. On weekends and holidays, he runs a snow machine in the garage. "As far as the Christmas display is concerned, we are trying to make things a bit unusual and funny, this seems like a good idea this year." The display runs from 6pm to 10pm
Rudolph’s Winter Wonderland, Somerset Court, Frankfurt 22177 — Andy Pavlacka’s wonderful display featured many reindeer games, including inflatable toys and more than 100 string lights with a 15-foot The inflatable Rudolph may or may not be according to weather conditions. The winter wonderland is lit from 4:30 to 10 pm until January 1st.
Hickory Creek Holidays, 20822 S Hickory Creek Place, Frankfort-From 6 pm to 10 pm, watch the Trans-Siberian Orchestra "Ode to Bells" light show by Jackie and Nate Riens, tuned to 91.3 FM.
14635 Saddle Brooke Lane, Homer Glen — Robert Szajkovics' simultaneous light show started at dusk and lasted until 10:30 in the evening, tuned to 95.3 FM and enjoyed the performance.
Festival Fiskows, 13115 Sage Ct Homer Glen — Nothing is more festive than the Fiskows House. The lawn is decorated with 200 blow molds and a tree covered by 4,600 lights. They also had a wonderful Halloween display, so you know it will be crazy.
The Creamery, 15112 S Bell Rd, Homer Glen — The Creamery not only provides ice cream products and catering activities, but also hosted a synchronized holiday light show with a 30-foot tall tree on the roof. The show starts at 5 o’clock every night Play until 10 o'clock
Smith's Christmas Candy Land, 3433 Pandola Ave, Joliet-Who can photograph the sunrise, sprinkle it with dew, cover it with chocolate, and create a miracle or two-Ramona Smith can! We can eat up this display, which contains candy canes, gingerbread and Santa’s arch. Santa and Mrs. Claus will visit from 5 to 9 pm on Friday and Saturday from December 10 to 11 and December 17 to 18. The Smiths are still collecting items for the Will County Human Association.
MeeMaw's House, 1106 Kinmonth Drive, Joliet — Pass through Michael Zabel's beautiful arch lights and enter a winter wonderland. We like Santa Claus on the boat and Santa Claus on the helicopter.
Joliet Thoroughbred Lane 3711-Joliet’s home is full of blue. charming.
Fantasy At The Fireplace, 1320 Newbridge Avenue, Lockport — Warren and Lois Durling’s exhibition shows a spinning Christmas tree, spinning sugar cane ferry, and snowman bouncing on a seesaw. It is lit from dusk to 10 in the evening, and later as Christmas approaches. Look at the Yeti Orchestra.
1318 Foxford Lane, Lockport-Singing trees, many old-fashioned blow molds and Disney works complete this holiday lawn picture. Lights up every night from 5 to 11
11508 Ashbury Ct. , Mokena — For 30 years, Joe Smolinski has been adding something new to his Christmas display on his one acre of land. From 2017 to 2019, he converted everything into LEDs, so it is brighter and certainly more energy efficient. But this year, his technical wife Mary Ellen really got involved. They set this wonderful old-fashioned Christmas display to music! They started with only five songs, but this year their playlist has expanded to seven songs. They are sharing their Christmas lights and music performances to benefit the Health Foundation.
11040 Elmwood Court, Mokena — Jayson Taylor and Kellee Uelman decorated their yard with an amazing number of LED lights, blasting lights, Christmas music, and even the famous Clark Gris Clark Griswold was also sitting outside. Their lifelike Santa Claus sings beside a Christmas tree full of candy canes for tourists to enjoy. In 2020, Jason and Kelly won third place in the Mokner Best Christmas Decoration Competition. They have entered this year and are eagerly waiting for the results. "We hope everyone likes Christmas lights and decorations."
25658 S Kensington Lane, Monee — Eugene Reyna's Christmas area has many homemade decorations. The lights will be on every night from Sunday to Thursday at 10pm, and Friday and Saturday until 11pm.
11734 S Olympic Drive, Plainfield — Walk through the gingerbread house and follow the path to see Santa Claus and his reindeer, Rudolph 15 feet tall, listen to Santa Claus singing and so on.
Chestnut Hill Lights, 1907 Chestnut Hill Road, Plainfield — Eric Voelz’s beautiful display is set to music. The lights change and move in sequence with five holiday songs, two singing trees, and an 18-foot-tall Christmas tree.
1612 Whisper Glen Drive, Plainfield — Another beautiful view of the plains.
Williams Winter Wonderland, 1109 Butterfield Circle W, Shorewood — This winter wonderland just broke away from the Christmas holidays, shrouded in the veil of lights. These Griswolders decorate the house from top to bottom with super bright LED lights, and it doesn't stop there. As a special treat, the front window is filled with Christmas magic to show you what is happening in the North Pole. Don't forget to bring your letter to Santa Claus so that he can receive a reply from the big man himself.
There is still time to enter the list. Send your winter wonderland photos to lorraine.swanson@patch.com, or let us know if you want Patch to use last year's photos.