As I wrote in Halloween Houses, I am a big fan of house decorating for any holiday. Of course, Christmas decorations are much more popular, elaborate and varied.

The origin of Christmas lights dates back to 12th century pagan celebrations of the winter solstice. The first Christmas tree is credited to Martin Luther, who put candles on a tree after being inspired by a starry sky in the 16th century. Christmas home decoration was popularized in the 1950s mainly due to community-sponsored competitions.

Photo by Jack Keenan

Some areas have such magnificent decorations, onlookers cause traffic jams. Just north of Chicago and just south of me, Lincolnwood is one such area. During the holiday season, locals know to avoid that area.

Those areas are wonderfully done. Some have collaborations among houses and even blocks. There’s no denying the beauty and magnificence, but I like finding hidden gems, nicely decorated houses away from the others.

As with my Halloween decorations thoughts, I have decoration rules. I generally do not like secular mixed with nonsecular. I prefer symmetry, although totally random is okay, but mixing both is usually unappealing. Most blinking lights are annoying. Lastly, decorations do not have to be huge displays. Some of my favorite ones are simple, tasteful and beautiful. Inflatables are okay, but they don’t show much creativity.

Since I moved to a condo, my decorating options are limited. In fact, my balcony of lights is one of only a few in my complex.

As kids, we begged our parents to drive around looking at lights. Even as an adult, I still find myself detouring down side streets, hoping to find cool decorations.

— John Wroblewski, online writer