A favorite pastime of the holiday season is walking through neighborhoods filled with brightly lit houses. Spending Thanksgiving at a relative’s house as a child, I always looked forward to seeing the house across the street putting the finishing touches on their ostentatious display. The yard was transformed into a winter wonderland with lit archways, reindeers, and Christmas music playing from seemingly everywhere. The density of Chicago makes enjoying these kinds of displays a lot easier. Just grab a few friends, a warm drink, and take a stroll through some of these neighborhoods that really take their holiday displays seriously.

photo by Dan Perry / CC BY

Roscoe Village

This north side neighborhood has an annual competition for homeowners and businesses to see who can put up the best light display. A few well-placed string lights won’t come close to doing the trick in Roscoe Village -- competition is fierce here. The work these residents do ultimately pays off for everyone else. It’s a perfect community to spend a mild December night with friends or family taking a walk through the holiday-themed streets. Some of the past winners have featured front yards decked in lights, Santa’s sleigh landing on their roof, and carefully curated garland. It’s certainly not your ordinary neighborhood come December.

Logan Square

This is less a spotlight on the neighborhood than it is on one specific home. If Logan Square had its own holiday lights competition, this home would surely win. The home, which is located on the corner of Talman Avenue and Logan Boulevard, dazzles passersby with its intricate and expensive display. No corner of the property is left untouched by lights; every balcony, fence, and tree are covered with lights or tinsel. While the display changes every year, the usual centerpiece is a light up display of Santa and his reindeer landing on the roof of this classic Chicago home.

photo by ChrismetcalfTV / CC BY

Downtown Naperville

This Chicago suburb has had its community light show designed and programed by a teenager for four years now. Matt Baker starts planning the setup in February, while each minute of music programmed to the lights takes five to eight hours of work. The event has become a neighborhood gathering, with neighbors from across the city helping with setup, providing food and warm drinks, and coming up with ways to reduce energy costs. After the long-awaited Chicago Cubs World Series victory this year, Baker has included the team’s famous fight song “Go Cubs Go” in his light show. More importantly, last year, the show was able to raise over $600 for the Naperville Area Humane Society, with an eye towards raising more this year.

Sauganash

The original Chicago neighborhood with a much-celebrated light show, this one might not be at the level of decades’ past, but it’s still a sight to treasure. There’s about a six-block radius where almost every house goes all out for the holidays. Many native Chicagoans will remember the glory years of Sauganash’s light show. Now is a great time to fill yourself with a little nostalgia and see the still great remnants of what was once Chicago’s premier holiday light neighborhood.