Light Up Your Holidays Publishes Free Guide on How to Design a Professional Halloween Display in Chicago

Now in its 25th year, the woman-owned Chicago decorating company releases the five-layer framework its design team uses on homes across Chicagoland.

Chicago, ILLINOIS, Oct. 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Light Up Your Holidays has published The Halloween House Blueprint, a free guide that breaks down the five design layers its team uses to build Halloween displays on homes across Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. The guide is available at no cost on the company website. Founded in 2001 and now in its 25th year, the woman-owned company holds 467 five-star reviews from homeowners and businesses across the Chicago area.

Founded in 2001, Light Up Your Holidays is a woman-owned holiday lighting design and installation company based in Chicago, Illinois.

The guide opens with a claim that runs against what most homeowners assume. The houses that stop people on the street are rarely the ones with the most expensive props or the most elaborate setup. The difference is design: how lighting, scale, focal point and overall feeling work together toward one clear effect.

The framework the company publishes in the guide covers five elements its designers work through on every home.

Foundation Lighting: The lighting plan comes before any prop goes out. Uplighting placed at angles around the home's architecture, along the roofline, at the base of the facade and flanking the front door, creates depth and shadow that make the house itself part of the display.

The Focal Point: Every strong display has one anchor piece that pulls the eye in from the street. The company notes that the focal point is not the largest prop on the property. It is the most intentionally placed one.

Layered Depth: Flat displays read as a collection of objects. Displays with foreground, midground and background elements read as a scene, and they hold interest from several distances.

Vibe Consistency: The guide identifies this as the point where most do-it-yourself displays break down. Cute pumpkins beside gory props beside inflatable cartoon characters send no clear message. A designed display commits to one direction and reinforces it with every element.

The Pathway Experience: Lit walkways, sound and intentional prop placement along the approach turn the walk to the front door into part of the display rather than an afterthought.

Three directions a display can take

The guide also outlines the three profiles the design team most often builds toward. Playful and kid friendly, for families who want every child on the block heading for their door. Fall forward and atmospheric, with warm uplighting and autumn tones and no gore. Full theatrical, with deep color uplighting, large-scale animatronics, fog and sound.

"Before anything goes up, our team asks one question: what do you want people to feel? Everything after that is design. The homes people remember are the ones where every choice supports one feeling, and that only happens when somebody plans it." says Kelly Fitzsimmons, Founder, Light Up Your Holidays

Halloween and Christmas in one conversation

The company notes that homeowners planning a Halloween display are often thinking about Christmas in the same season. Both seasons are covered in one conversation, starting with a complimentary 15-minute virtual design call, and the team provides two to three concepts for each so homeowners can see what the property looks like in both directions before deciding.

The fall-forward profile described in the guide is built for this. Warm uplighting and autumn textures carry a home through October and move into Thanksgiving and Christmas without a full reset.

Halloween and Christmas displays are installed separately, with the design team returning to the home two to three times across the two seasons. Final Halloween installation dates for 2026 fall in the third week of October.

What Light Up Your Holidays handles

Clients receive a custom design concept built for their home's architecture, all props, lighting, animatronics and equipment, full installation, service through the season, and complete removal afterward. Nothing is purchased or stored by the homeowner, and each year brings an entirely new design.

"Our designers open every consultation the same way, by asking what you want people to feel when they pull into the driveway. We will show you two or three concepts for Halloween and two or three for Christmas, and seeing your own home both ways is genuinely fun. Your home is your biggest investment. It deserves a design that shows it off, not a pile of decorations sitting on top of it," says Kelly Fitzsimmons, Founder, Light Up Your Holidays

You can visit lightupyourholidays.com/design, where homeowners can also book a complimentary 15-minute design consultation. Consultations are held virtually and cover the home, the direction the homeowner wants to take, and what is possible for Halloween, Christmas or both. Light Up Your Holidays can be reached at (312) 728-8499.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a Halloween display look professional?

Five things, according to the design team at Light Up Your Holidays: a lighting plan built before any prop is placed, one clear focal point, depth created by placing elements at different distances from the street, a single consistent theme carried through every element, and a lit, designed walkway to the front door.

When should you book Halloween decorating in Chicago?

Design and installation run on a set schedule. Final Halloween installation dates for 2026 fall in the third week of October. Homeowners planning for the following year generally start design conversations in late summer. Schedule your complimentary call so we can help. 

Do Halloween decorating companies take the display down?

Light Up Your Holidays includes complete removal after Halloween along with service through the season. Props, lighting and equipment belong to the company, so nothing is stored by the homeowner.

Can one company handle both Halloween and Christmas decorating?

Yes. Light Up Your Holidays designs both in a single consultation and provides two to three concepts for each. The two displays are installed separately, with the team visiting the home two to three times across the seasons.

Turn your home into the most legendary house on the street

About Light Up Your Holidays

Founded in 2001, Light Up Your Holidays is a woman-owned holiday lighting design and installation company based in Chicago, Illinois. With more than 25 years of experience and over 467 five-star reviews, the company specializes in safe, elegant holiday displays for luxury homes, local businesses, and community nonprofits. Each installation is customized for beauty, durability, and care, with a commitment to protecting both property and peace of mind.

Press Inquiries

Kelly Fitzsimmons - Owner, Light Up Your Holidays
design [at] lightupyourholidays.com
312-728-8499
http://lightupyourholidays.com
Chicago, Illinois