Homes Lighting Up Lake Co. This Holiday Season

Some suburbanites wind some Christmas lights through their deck rails and call it a day. Others drop some serious dough on their electricity bills over the holidays and pour hours into painstakingly hanging twinkling lights and putting up Christmas decorations outside their home all in the spirit of brightening spirits over the holidays.

In the days leading up to Christmas, why not pack up the family and head out to one of these over-the-top displays. We've included some of the best displays, submitted by readers and/or spotted by Patch editors, in Lake, Kane and McHenry counties below.

• Looking for a display outside of Lake, Kane and McHenry counties? The Patch 2018 Holiday Tour 'O Lights has suggestions on awesome XMas decorations throughout the Chicago area.
  

Lake County

Grayslake

Messinger Light Show, 218 Braxton Ct., Grayslake -- Majestic.

Antioch

Added! 1256 Bradford Ln., Antioch — On Google Maps, just say, “Take me to the Tarkowski Family Light show” and you’ll be directed to this display with more than 16,000 LED lights. Tune in to 88.7 FM and follow along with the music. Last year, the Tarkowskis handed out more than 1,000 candy canes, and they’ll be at it again this year.

• Best Christmas Yard Displays Sought For Patch's Tour o' Lights

McHenry County

Algonquin

Peanuts Christmas, 1851 Broadsmore Drive, Algonquin -- Good grief, we LOVE this display featuring good old Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus and Snoopy surrounded by hundreds of candy cane borders. We love Kevin and Jenny Christian's display so much, we're including two pictures to get the full effect.

Fox River Grove

Mack Manor, 1110 Algonquin Road

A Fox River Grove couple and their popular drive-through Christmas holiday display has been known by locals for year. But in recent weeks it also garnered national attention when "Mack Manor," at 1100 Algonquin Road, was featured on ABC's The Great Christmas Light Fight. The display is free and is open for residents to drive through from 5 to 9 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday and from 5 to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The light show will be open through Jan. 1 but Mack Manor owners are considering remaining open through Jan. 7, according to the Mack Manor Facebook page. Tune into radio station 106.9 FM while visiting this display.

Crystal Lake

1793 Queensport Drive, Crystal Lake

1489 Woodscreek Circle, Crystal Lake -- Michael Libricz has a nice light show synced with Christmas songs.

6001 Hawthorne Lane, Crystal Lake -- Holiday light spectacular synced to music.

Lake in the Hills

2880 Hillsboro Lane, Lake In The Hills -- The lights twinkle from 4:30 to 10 p.m. Between 6 and 9 p.m. the synchronized light show comes up. We hope Der Bingle is in the mix.

5515 Chantilly Circle, Lake in the Hills -- This beautiful display is lighting up those dark McHenry County.

Kane County

Elburn

Larsen Christmas Show, 42W891 Beith Road

This famous light show is in its twelfth year. Brian Larsen’s lights will be up for the public to view at 42W891 Beith Road in Elburn through Jan. 5 and will be on from 5 to 10 p.m. on Monday through Thursday and from 5 to 11 p.m. on Friday through Sunday. The show is about 15 minutes long this year – but shorter on high-traffic nights – and there are specific directions on how to enter the lights show and where to park available here, so be sure to read ahead before you go.

St. Charles

The Flosi Family Light Show, 6N020 Old Homestead Road

Epic Light Shows, a business owned by Brian Larsen who runs Elburn’s well-known massive light show at his home, helped make this St. Charles light show possible. Tune in to 89.9 FM to watch lights dance along to music at the home at 6N020 Old Homestead Road in St. Charles. The Christmas show runs through Jan. 1 with lights on from 5 to 10:30 p.m. on Monday through Thursday and 5 to 11:30 p.m. on Friday through Sunday.

Batavia

“Lights on Ekman,” 969 Ekman Drive, Batavia -- Brett and Heather Foy have been busy this past year building props for their Inaugural holiday light and music extravaganza, including a 10.5-foot-tall mega tree. Check out their videos on Facebook.

Chicago Area Lights Up For Holidays: Popular Displays Open: Some of the Chicago-area's most popular holiday lights displays are open, including Morton Arboretum's Illumination display, ZooLights in Lincoln Park, (which is free!) and Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo.

• Photo caption: Messinger Light Show in Grayslake/Photo credit: YouTube