This elaborate Halloween light show draws thousands of visitors in person — and online
Nick Thomas' house in Naperville, Illinois, is the ultimate Halloween destination.
The front lawn is covered with 750 faux tombstones, pumpkins, goblins, coffins, werewolves, and other creepy things, while the two-story home is outlined in orange lights. "It's the big kid in me," he told the Chicago Tribune. "It's a whole month of setup and everything, but it's worth it. It just warms my heart to see the kids enjoying it."
But he doesn't stop just there. After 20 years of putting out items on his lawn, he recently decided to start synchronizing the lights on his house to music. To get this done, Thomas enlisted the help of his neighbor's son, Steve Jandick. "He's 25, and I'm 60," he said. "With the lights and music, he's taken it to a new level."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Thomas says it takes Jandick close to 40 hours to program just one song, and right now, there are 32. The decorations bring thousands of people to the neighborhood, and a police officer comes on Halloween to direct traffic. The elaborate display is also garnering attention around the world thanks to YouTube, where videos of Thomas' home have hundreds of thousands of views.
Thomas says he doesn't do any of this for the fame, but rather to bring joy to children. "You can get away from thinking about all the problems in the world right now when you just look at the kids," he said. Watch several light shows from 2014 on Jandick's YouTube page, and check out the impressive "Thriller" display below. --Catherine Garcia
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Today's political cartoons - February 9, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - personal data, trans athletes, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 tit-for-tat cartoons about Trump's trade war
Cartoons Artists take on Canada, Mexico, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The catastrophic conflict looming in the heart of Africa
In the Spotlight Showdown between DR Congo and Rwanda have been a long time coming
By The Week UK Published
-
Federal judges block Trump citizenship order
Speed Read A second judge has blocked the president's order to end citizenship for children born on American soil to parents without legal status
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
DOGE official at Treasury resigns after racist posts
Speed Read Marko Elez's ability to access the Treasury's central government payment system has been rescinded
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Trump orders ban on trans female athletes
speed read The order directs the federal government to withhold funding from schools that do not comply
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Musk's DOGE gains access to Medicare, eyes FAA
speed read The billionaire said his Department of Government Efficiency will make 'rapid safety upgrades' to our air traffic control systems
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump: US 'will take over' Gaza, without Palestinians
Speed Read President Trump has suggested the US take ownership of Gaza, permanently displacing more than two million Palestinian residents
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Democrats try to stop Trump's USAID closure
Speed Read Trump and Elon Musk are attempting to dismantle the US Agency for International Development, a move congressional Democrats say is illegal
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China rattle markets
Speed read The tariffs on America's top three trading partners are expected to raise the prices of everything from gas and cars to tomatoes and tequila
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published