Esposito family Christmas lights steal the show in Tinley Park

TINLEY PARK, Ill. - Holiday lights displays in Tinley Park are taken to a whole different level. 

The homeowners help each other reach new heights in creativity and holiday spirit. The Esposito Christmas display is one of the top four in the village, located at 16423 Parliament Ave. 

Rick Esposito is a carpenter by trade. His woodworking skills show in the handmade characters. 

"Some of the first things we did was a lot of the plywood figures. We made Hardrock, Coco, and Joe, that's one of the favorites with people," Esposito said.

He has been decorating his house for more than 30 years with collectible blow-mold figures, a handmade Ferris wheel and a ski lift.

Visitors most often ask where he stores it all. Esposito said it's too much to count.

"So I finally built a shed in the backyard that most of this goes into," he said.

He considered scaling back but making memories is important to him.

"It is for my grandchildren," Esposito said. "I want to keep it going for them so they can really remember it. I enjoy bringing happiness to people. We have people who came here when they were children."

His grandchildren enjoy setting up the lights and figures. 

"I really like just helping and putting it all up and just, at night, the lights when it’s all lit up, it is just really cool to see," Lily Bressler said.

Her brother Ben added: "It’s just so much fun to have everybody come and so other families can make memories and our family can make memories."

Each of the award-winning houses in Tinley Park features a collection for a special charity or cause. At the Esposito house, visitors can send a letter to the North Pole. If they provide a return address, they will receive a handwritten, personal response from Santa Claus.  Last year, 300 letters were answered.