Member Spotlight: Kelly Fitzsimmons, Owner, Light Up Your Holidays

Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Chamber: Tell us about Light Up Your Holidays and the services you provide?

Kelly Fitzsimmons - holiday lighting geek (AKA Kelly Christmas, and often referred to as The Light Lady)
Light Up Your Holidays is a woman-owned Chicagoland holiday design and decorating company—and this year, we’re celebrating 25 years in business. Simply put, we help families and businesses celebrate Halloween and Christmas with lights and décor both inside and out.

We design, install, maintain, remove, and store all the holiday décor. But the real work is creating something that feels personal to the client. Some families want clean, classic warm-white lighting and elegant greenery. Others want color, oversized décor, and a front yard their kids cannot stop talking about. Our job is to study the architecture, understand the family, and create a design that looks intentional—not like the holiday aisle landed on the lawn.

We think about the ladders, cords, timers, weather, symmetry, service calls, removal, and storage so our clients do not have to.

 

LF/LB: What was your inspiration to start your business?

KF:  I started before professional holiday decorating was really an industry—and definitely before many women were climbing ladders and building companies around it. An electrician who'd been decorating for 14 years taught me the ropes!

I did not have some glamorous master plan, yet I knew I wanted to create something meaningful, and I loved what the work did for people, and was stubborn enough to keep building it.

There is an immediate reaction when a home lights up. Kids really do go crazy with excitement. I fell in love with creating that reaction - being able to transform a home and an entire block to inspire people. Twenty-five years later, I still do.

 

LF/LB: What is your hope and vision for the future of your business?

KF:  My vision is to keep growing without losing the heart, personality, and high standards that built the company.

I want Light Up Your Holidays to be known not simply as a company that puts up lights, but as a team of talented designers, installers, and problem-solvers who create beautiful work and genuinely take care of people.

I aim to inspire other female entrepreneurs to take a risk and follow their passion and their heart.

 

LF/LB: How does Light Up Your Holidays give back to the community?

KF:  Each year, we decorate up to 15 Chicagoland group homes at no charge.

Some serve very young children. Others support teenagers or adults with disabilities. When we decorate one of these homes, the impact reaches far beyond the residents. It lifts the caretakers who show up every day, the families who visit, and the neighbors who pass the house all season.

We have also provided free decorating for nonprofits, veterans, older adults, families facing serious illness, and people who simply need some extra care. Each year, our clients nominate someone in need, and we select 1 to 3 homes to help celebrate with lights.

We often discover these organizations through our clients and community partners.

 

LF/LB: With fall and the holiday season around the corner, is there anything else you would like to share about the business?

KF: The holidays arrive every year with remarkable consistency, yet somehow they still surprise everyone.

My practical advice is to begin early—especially if you want a preferred decorating date or a custom design. We start EARLY with a short phone conversation about your home, business, style, and budget. Then we create realistic renderings so you can see different possibilities before deciding what feels right.

We love the classics, but we also love showing clients one unexpected idea they would never have considered on their own.

And fall is no longer simply the opening act for Christmas. Halloween decorating has become wonderfully creative—from warm, pumpkin-filled displays to playful animatronics and full theatrical productions.

Whether you hire a professional or decorate it yourself, we encourage you to celebrate with lights. Chicago gets dark early. A beautifully decorated home or business gives the whole family and neighborhood inspiration and memories that last a lifetime.