Santa, Star Wars, Fuzzy Animals Bedazzle Christmas Corner

OAK LAWN, IL — Need an instant shot of holiday spirit? Hurry over to Christmas Corner in Oak Lawn, now in its 20th year.

You’ll find inflatables of every shape and size, a talking snowball, Star Wars area, Rudolph section, traditional Christmas, Marshall Field Christmas windows and Disney, all lit up by tens of thousands of LED lights.

Rick and Care Herpich have been setting up their display since moving to their corner house at 94th Street and Mobile Avenue in 2001. Rick is the designer behind the lavish display. He uses pictures from the year before, so he knows where to put stuff the next year.

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“We started out small,” Care says. "We took our parents’ decorations and it just few from there.”

Their collection of decorations has grown so large they’ve had to rent a storage unit (the Herpiches do Halloween, too).

Rick is an electrician by profession, and works for the Village of Oak Lawn. Before he switched over to LED lights, it cost over $1,000 to keep Christmas Corner lit during the holiday season. Although the investment in LED lights was costly, it’s paid off.

“Our electric bill came down to $300 or $400,” Rick said.

The past week’s gale force winds battered Herpich’s decorations as well as dented the gutters on his house. Due to the ongoing pandemic and supply chain issues, the Herpiches haven’t been able to add any new attractions because there hasn’t been a lot of new products at the big box stores.

“Mother Nature hasn’t been too kind and had definitely destroyed my decorations,” Rick said. “I was out tying everything down with stakes.

In addition to all the other holiday characters populating the corner lot, there is a fuzzy animal section, where visitors can come and take selfies with a hugging bear.

Installing the display starts a month in advance. Residents and employees of the nursing home across the street watch in fascination, Christmas Corner springing to life. Care says they find cards and notes in their mailbox all the time from area residents who come to visit their display.

“They thank us for bringing some cheer to the corner and area,” Care added. “They admire our Christmas spirit.”

Son Jacob, 13, whose grown up with his parents; obsession with Christmas, has joined his father this year in hauling out the decorations.

“I think he enjoys being a scary clown on Halloween more,” his mother said. “Believe it or not, Halloween is bigger.”

Christmas Corner is lit daily from 5 to 10 p.m. It is located on the corner of 94th Street and Mobile Avenue, Oak Lawn.