If you thought Spirit Halloween disappearing from empty big-box stores was eerie, get ready for something even stranger: Spirit is doing Christmas now. Yep, the chain best known for fake blood and polyester capes is rolling out “Spirit Christmas,” complete with lights, ornaments, stocking stuffers, and even Santa photo ops.
Where Spirit Christmas Stores Are Opening in Illinois
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This year, Spirit is opening 30 Spirit Christmas stores across 13 states, and Illinois made the cut. Three suburban Chicago spots are on the list:
- Bloomingdale – Former HHGregg, 340 W. Army Trail Rd. (Opens November)
- Joliet – Former Party City, 2661 Plainfield Rd. (Opens October)
- Naperville – Former Bed Bath & Beyond, 336 Illinois Route 59 (Opens November)
For those of us in Rockford, the Naperville location is the closest—just over 50 miles away. 📍 More U.S. store locations here.
Santa Claus Is Part of the Deal
Yes, Santa will be at select Spirit Christmas stores. You can even reserve a spot online at Bloomingdale and Joliet, with more locations to follow. No guarantees on whether he’ll accept requests for fog machines and plastic skeletons, though.
From Scares to Stockings
According to NBC Chicago, last year, Spirit tested the Christmas concept with only 10 stores nationwide. None were in Illinois, but clearly, the experiment worked. Now you can get your holiday fix in the same kind of vacant storefront you haunted for fake cobwebs in October.
Plan Your Visit
If you want photos with Santa, or just want to see what happens when Halloween’s favorite pop-up tries on Christmas cheer, plan ahead and book a reservation. Be sure to start following Spirit Christmas on Facebook.
Alaskan merchant Con Miller used to dress up as Santa Claus for the local kids every Christmas, so when he and his wife decided to open a trading post in North Pole, Alaska, in 1952, naming it Santa Claus House was a no-brainer. Inside the red-and-white building, visitors can buy Christmas decorations year-round, sample fudge and other treats at The Sweet Shop, and order official letters from Santa. Visitors will find the world’s largest Santa Claus statue, an authentic sleigh, and may even be able to pet some of Santa’s reindeer.
Koziar’s Christmas Village in Bernville, Pennsylvania
William M. Koziar was an early adopter of outdoor Christmas lights—he began decorating his family home with the twinkly bulbs way back in 1948, right around the time they became affordable and weatherproof. Each year, his display would grow and expand. Today’s decorations, which are now set up by third- and fourth-generation Koziars, include more than 1 million lights covering the entire valley surrounding the familial homestead.
Candy Cane Lane in Woodland Hills, California
The intersection of Lubao Avenue and Oxnard Street in the Southern California community of Woodland Hills has become known as Candy Cane Lane, thanks to the residents’ propensity for staging elaborate Christmas displays every winter. Past displays have included allusions to “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Peanuts,” and even “Star Wars.” Just drive through the neighborhood to take in the holiday magic.
ZooLights at Oregon Zoo in Portland, Oregon
ZooLights—one of Oregon’s most popular holiday traditions—lights up the Portland zoo, covering its landscaping and decor with 1.5 million twinkly bulbs. While the menagerie’s hundreds of animals aren’t available for viewing at the after-dark event, patrons can enjoy plenty of holiday-themed snacks and locally sourced adult beverages on 21+ BrewLights nights.
St. Augustine Nights of Lights in St. Augustine, Florida
The nation’s oldest city shows off its Spanish Colonial architecture to a spectacular degree during the St. Augustine Nights of Lights, when it seems like every building in town is lit with twinkling lights. Visitors can walk around St. Augustine Nights of Lights for free. Visitors can book a boat tour to see the sparkling display from the water for an even more breathtaking view.
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Village of Lights: Christmastown! in Leavenworth, Washington
With its Bavarian-style buildings and gazebo-filled squares, the Village of Lights: Christmastown! in Leavenworth, Washington, feels like the set of a Christmas movie year-round. But when it’s transformed by more than 500,000 LED lights that cover every square inch of main street’s storefronts and trees, it truly becomes a Hallmark-worthy destination.
Zoolights at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington DC
The Smithsonian National Zoo’s Zoolights experience isn’t just a light show. Don’t get us wrong, there are plenty of those—enough to cover nearly every square inch of the park’s grounds—but there is also live music, a holiday market, and enough refreshment stands that visitors can forgo dinner. The event is free, and attendees simply need to reserve their spots via the zoo’s website ahead of time, though parking costs $30.
Gardens Aglow in Boothbay, Maine
With more than 750,000 lights, Gardens Aglow in Boothbay, Maine, is New England’s brightest and biggest holiday light display. The 14-acre Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens are transformed into a mesmerizing, twinkling spectacle for the festive season. Tickets run from $14 per adult for botanical garden members to $45 for a family of four with two adults and two children.
Lights Under Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky
During the holiday season, the Louisville Mega Cavern—a former limestone quarry turned tourist attraction—becomes the home to a jaw-dropping Christmas display called Lights Under Louisville. Visitors can drive their vehicles through this underground display of more than 850 lit characters and 3,000,000 points of light for $34.99 per car.
Baltimore’s 34th Street in Baltimore
Neighbors on 34th Street in Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood have decked their homes in Christmas lights for over 70 years. Decorations range from traditional angels, Santas, and candy canes to uniquely Baltimore additions like crabs made out of red twinkling lights, Orioles and Ravens decor, and even a Christmas tree made out of hubcaps. Anyone who wants to take in the festive street can walk by for free.
An Old Time Christmas at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri
This Missouri theme park goes all out during the holidays. Attractions at its An Old Time Christmas celebration include a living nativity scene, an interactive children’s show featuring a 12-foot singing Christmas tree, a meet-and-greet with Rudolph himself, and holiday-themed plays, but the most popular by far is the incredible light display. Silver Dollar City boasts more than 6.5 million lights, and anyone who visits the park during the holiday season can soak up the holiday magic.
Glittering Lights in Las Vegas
Glittering Lights, a holiday drive-through light show at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway features more than 5 million LED lights. A weekday ticket will cost $29 per car, and visitors will have to shell out an extra $10 to visit on weekends or holidays. Glittering Lights donates a portion of every ticket sale to Speedway Children’s Charities.
Dyker Heights Christmas Lights in Brooklyn, New York
Residents of this Brooklyn, New York, neighborhood decorate their houses in over-the-top light displays and life-size characters every holiday season. Decorations usually go up the weekend after Thanksgiving. Anyone can view them between dusk to 9 p.m. daily until the end of the year by walking between the 11th and 13th avenues and 83rd and 86th streets.
Clifton Mill in Clifton, Ohio
The Clifton Mill, an Ohio grist mill that dates back to the 1800s, gets a Christmassy makeover every winter when more than 4 million lights go up on the covered bridge. The display takes six workers about three months to build every year, and visitors can take in the stunning light show set to music every night between Thanksgiving and Dec. 30 for $10-15 per guest. There is no charge for children 3 and under.
Rhema Lights in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Since 1982, Rhema Bible Church has been putting on Rhema Lights, a beloved Christmas light show. Admission to see the 2-million-light display and Christmas tree forest is free, but visitors who don’t want to go on foot can choose to pay for carriage rides through the park.
Peacock Lane in Portland, Oregon
This Portland, Oregon, neighborhood is filled with quaint Tudor homes, and it has been decorating for Christmas as a group since 1932. Visitors can check out the festive decor from Dec. 15 to Dec. 31 from 6-11 p.m. Occasionally, the street closes to car traffic, so pedestrians can wander on foot, sipping hot cocoa and cider all the while.
The Miracle on South 13th Street Holiday Light Display in Philadelphia
One block of South 13th Street in South Philadelphia typically contains more Christmas lights than entire neighborhoods during the holiday season. Walk between Tasker and Morris streets to take in this free spectacle.
Austin Trail of Lights in Austin, Texas
With more than 160 displays and 2 million lights, this annual event in Zilker Park draws visitors from all over Texas. Revelers can also buy snacks from local food trucks, get photos with Santa, and even participate in a yearly fun run through the park. Entrance is free seven days out of the 16 operating days, and parking passes range from $15 to $25.
Christmas on Temple Square in Salt Lake City
Starting the day after Thanksgiving, Temple Square in Salt Lake City becomes decked out with a plethora of Christmas displays. Anyone can take in the life-size nativity scene, the daily Christmas concerts, and guided tours.
Tacky Lights Tour in Richmond, Virginia
The Richmond Times-Dispatch always lists the best over-the-top Christmas lights in town so readers can create self-guided tours. Perennial favorites include a home with a live Grinch and a Christmas fantasyland full of handmade cutouts of holiday characters like Rudolph and Santa…