Amazing Light Show at 'The Christmas House' in Wilmette

WILMETTE, IL - Some refer to it just as “The Christmas House.”

Even to those not from Wilmette, it’s apparent one home clearly outdoes all the rest on the North Shore when it comes to Christmas lights. And they put on quite a show, too.

It’s been a recent tradition to make a trip to view “Christmas on Cleveland Street,” the spectacular display the residents of 1200 Cleveland St. in Wilmette put on using their lights every year.

From another year:

The amazing display is the work of Steve Maris, a Christmas buff who’s been decking out his Wilmette home for years, according to a 2011 Wilmette-Kenilworth Patch feature on the family donating more than $1,000 to a children’s hospital.

This year, the “Christmas House” will hold its annual Lightshow Fundraiser for Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago from 5-7 p.m. on Dec. 18. A special guest appearance from Santa Claus will be made during the event.

Reviews on the house’s Facebook page show the spot has become a must-see for Christmas lovers not just on the North Shore, but from throughout Chicagoland. And the show this year is as spectacular as ever. 

“We brought our daughter to see your wonderful show last night,” one man wrote. “She is 29 years old and 7 months pregnant! She lit up like a little girl! I can’t wait to bring my soon-to-be granddaughter over there in a couple of years!”

The show is “amazing,” another wrote. “The first time I ever saw anything like that.”

It takes about two weeks to set up the lights and 12 hours on average per song for programming, the page admin noted.

When to go

The ‘Christmas on Cleveland’ lightshow will play from 4:30-9 p.m. from Sunday-Thursday and from 4:30-10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.