Daily Herald Holiday Lights Contest, Northwest suburban Editor's Choice winner

Five Editor's Choice winners were selected in the Daily Herald Holiday Lights Contest, plus an overall winner as voted on by readers. Richy Sandberg and Jessica Zajac of 391 Walnut Lane, Elk Grove Village, are among the Editor's Choice winners. Here is what Sandberg had to say about their display.

Q. How long have you been decorating your house like this?

A. Well, this is the first year my fiancee and I decorated our first home. Before that, I used to decorate my parents house. We would decorate yearly - but not as crazy as it looks now.

Q. What inspired you to go all out with your decorations?

A. When I was a child, my parents used to take me to look at displays around the Northwest suburbs. I was always fascinated by them as a kid; it was a magical experience for me to see that. I vowed to one day bring that same magic I saw as a kid to kids and their parents today.

Q. How many hours does it take to put up the display?

A. This year it must have taken me close to 80 hours. There are unaccounted-for hours when we do minor repairs or tweaks.

Q. How many strings of lights are involved?

A. We have probably used a few thousand or more LED lights. However, we have hundreds of extension cords and cords from our blow mold figurines all over the place.

Q. How much does your electric bill spike in December?

A. Not so much because of the use of LED lighting. Last year we saw about a $50 increase (thank you, LED lights!).

Q. What do your neighbors think of your display?

A. I have had our neighbors constantly say, "It looks nice!" Some of our neighbors have, or had decorated in the past, so I think they, too, can appreciate it. We get a lot of compliments from passer-by drivers and people. It is a wonderful feeling.