It was the lights and Santas from her Christmas past that inspired Mary Edsey to write her book.
In many ways the book’s a tribute to old-fashioned kitsch and Americana. There is, for instance, the story of William Brown, an 82-year-old retired factory worker in Elgin who spends “three to four weeks zigzagging 75 sets of large and small lights up and down the sides of [his] house, around the rails, over the fence and across the bushes,” Edsey writes.
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From there it became an obsession. “The most difficult task was tracking down the great displays,” she says. “At first I just drove up and down the streets at Christmastime, looking for the glow. It’s a miracle I didn’t get into a car accident.”
Perhaps the most spectacular display was once on the streets of Dunning, a working-class neighborhood near Belmont and Harlem on the city’s far northwest side. Each year Dunning residents decorated whole blocks around incredibly elaborate and fanciful themes.
In addition to homes, Edsey’s book features businesses, such as the Majestic Shell gas station at 3181 N. Milwaukee that’s run by the Sfondeles brothers, Jim and George. “Shell runs a contest for the best decorations in the area, and we’ve won it three years in a row,” says George Sfondeles. “We’ll trim the pumps with garlands, put up a big Santa Claus and a tree. First prize is a trip somewhere nice. One year I went to Lake Tahoe. To tell you the truth, the vacation probably costs less than the money we spend on decorations. But we’ll do it again. The customers like it. And I have to admit, we like winning the prize. It’s sort of like the Bulls–once you get used to winning you don’t want to stop.”
“But most of all, I [decorate my house] because I enjoy it, because these decorations brighten me up. My neighbors love it. They come by in their cars and get out and take pictures of my house. And then I know I’ve come a long way.”
