In their holiday era: Naperville family combines love for Taylor Swift, seasonal decor
What do you get when you combine your love for holiday decorating with your enthusiasm for all things Taylor Swift?
A "Merry Swiftmas," of course.
The Scott family in Naperville transformed their front lawn at 1228 Atlas Lane into a miniature Swiftland, showcasing all 10 eras and even giving Travis Kelce a shoutout from the roof.
"You don't normally think of a musical artist as a Christmas decoration," said Patrick Beedles, who traveled from Aurora with his two daughters and son to check out the Scott family home. "But Taylor embodies so many different things ... when you think about her messaging around joy, peace and love, it definitely relates back to a Christmas message to me.
"It's unusual for Christmas, but it works," he added. "It works really well."
A steady stream of visitors Monday took in the display.
"It's just the perfect accumulation of all things Taylor Swift; you can't get better than this," said Taylor Jarvey, who seen Swift on every concert tour and visited the Scott home with her mother, Brenda, Monday.
"It's so cute," added Jarvey, who said she plans to visit the house again.
The decorations - including a two-story banner featuring all 10 of the Swift eras, a Taylor Swift stand-up complete with a sparkly outfit made possible with Gorilla Glue and glitter, friendship bracelets fashioned out of pool noodles, plastic balls around the trees and a giant poster of Travis Kelce on the roof - went up over Thanksgiving week and went live on Saturday.
It didn't take long for it to go viral. There have been news interviews, a steady stream of cars driving by, and even a gift or two from visitors to show their appreciation. The display even has its own TikTok page due to all the attention.
"We did not expect all of this," said Amy Scott, an eighth grade science teacher at Still Middle School in Aurora.
The Scott family - Amy, Brian and their two daughters, Emily and Rebecca - have always done up the holidays big when it comes to front yard decorations.
In 2016, the family was named the Daily Herald's Editor's Choice winner for holiday light displays. That year, their display had 20,000 lights and a "W" on the roof to commemorate the Cubs World Series win.
In recent years, other displays have included Candy Land and Toy Story-themed decorations.
But this year's decor tops them all. Amy Scott said she came up with the theme after seeing the Eras Tour movie.
"This is my favorite," Scott said of this year's display, adding the planning for the decorations started in October. "The amount of people that we are able to reach with our lights display and bring joy to is so much bigger than it has been before ... and that's really what it's all about."
Neighbors have even gotten on board. Before the display went live, Scott enlisted the help of neighborhood moms and their children, who made friendship bracelets to hand out on opening weekend. She expects to have more bracelets this weekend and is encouraging visitors to bring their own to trade with other visitors.
The Merry Swiftmas display will light up daily from 4:30 until 11 p.m. They plan to keep the display up until the new year.
The Scott family is encouraging donations to Little Friends, a Naperville nonprofit agency that serves adults and children with autism and has included a QR code among their decorations that takes visitors to the Little Friends website.