Scott and Erin Beavers of North Aurora are once again looking to really brighten the holiday season.
Visitors cruising near the 800 block of Deerpath Road are treated to a holiday display that includes about 30 blow-up decorations that Scott Beavers, 42, insists are his own interpretation of the Griswolds and the famous holiday movie “Christmas Vacation.”
“I’ve been doing this for about a decade. We had a townhouse in Plainfield, and we had a few inflatables and every year I add two or three to it,” he said. “My dad has a house down in southern Illinois and he’s known as ‘Clark Griswold’ because he decorates his yard with quite a display. I’m trying to catch up with him. I’m trying to be ‘Clark Junior.'”
The Beavers family came to town about five years ago and brought their own holiday display with them, a tradition that Scott Beavers says now includes of an investment of anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 with no signs of letting up.
“My yard is full of inflatables on the side entrance, it’s the corner of a main subdivision, including a 20-foot Santa Claus which can get a little tricky in the wind,” he said. “I did have a Santa blow across the street one time. I hope that doesn’t happen again.”
The local Griswolds say set-up begins annually about a week before Thanksgiving in order to “get things up and running” and new additions are once again being added this season.
“This year, I added a fishing boat pulling a tubing reindeer,” he said. “There is everything from snowmen to ‘Star Wars’ to the Cubs. But the most important decoration is the nativity scene at the end. It’s the reason for the season.”
The Beavers’ display also includes Erin’s favorite – a teddy bear with arms that open and close to give hugs, plus a Santa mailbox with a path of lights in front of it to mimic a sidewalk and a candy cane tree near the letter box so kids can help themselves and take a free treat.
Erin Beavers said there has been some negotiating over the years about how the decorations would look and admits her preferences have changed since she and her husband became parents.
“I’ve kind of become Mrs. Griswold – pretty much – I’ve gotten into it, and I’ve always loved Christmas lights and Christmas decorations and so I’m not kicking and screaming about how things look,” she said. “Before we had our son, we always fought over the look. I wanted white lights and he wanted the colorful show but ever since our son was born, I definitely wanted the playful colorful toys and all the Christmas cheer because I saw what it did for kids too.”
Scott Beavers agrees his wife has come around thanks to their son Brody, 8, who “loves helping and loves the inflatables.”
“At first (Erin) was very hesitant and wanted to go with a classier look, but now she’s given in and is OK with the inflatables,” he said.
The Beavers have stepped up their game this year with the Santa mailbox. At the suggestion of a neighbor, the couple is making a donation for every letter left to Maddie’s Mitten March – a local charity that distributes clothes to the needy here in Kane County.
Erin Beavers, who works as a pediatric nurse practitioner, notes that both she and her husband, who teaches fourth grade in the Yorkville school system, “look to inspire and take care of children” and said Maddie’s Mitten March charity is “particularly important this year.”
“I think charity work is always amazing, and helping support Maddie is important this year because we know of COVID’s impact on families,” she said. “This is a way to help in our community immediately and the impact is amazing, not to mention the inspiration, given this group was started by someone when she was 8 years old, just like our son.”
The Beavers say they are happy to have their home be a destination for those looking to celebrate the lights of the season, something that became even more important last year as the pandemic worsened.
“We like to sit in the window with the lights off and watch as kids come up. People make your house a destination and like to get out and see it,” Erin Beavers said. “Last year, my husband had a family on Facebook reach out to him personally. They didn’t live in the neighborhood and wanted to come by. Their child was legally blind and had difficulty seeing unless he was really close up and they wanted to make sure the lights were on. We said please let him go out and hug and touch things. We saw them when they came by. Things like that make it really worthwhile.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
