Tinley Dad In Cancer Fight Brings Back Vintage Holiday Lights Display

TINLEY PARK, IL — This time last year, Nick Schuber was still reeling from a cancer diagnosis. Bracing for a battle with stage four colon cancer, he had set aside plans for his classic lights display in Tinley Park. They'd have to wait until next year, he realized at the time—though he tried to set up as much as he could of the hundreds of figurines and thousands of lights.

He knew people were disappointed when they'd drive by his family's home on Whittington Drive, wondering where the decorations were. Word spread on social media, and Schuber shared news of his diagnosis and the fate of the display.

"I tried to put what I could out," Schuber said of the last year's display, noting he'd just started treatment in November 2022.

A year later, he's still in the thick of his fight, and with word that his cancer has progressed after initially shrinking with treatment, Schuber knew he'd have to make it happen this Christmas—and he had a little unexpected help to pull it off.

"When Nick heard the result that the cancer was growing, he said, ‘I’m definitely going to decorate this year. All My Guys are going to come out,'" said his wife Sheena.

The Schuber family on Friday flipped the switch on their work at 7830 Whittington Drive—a dazzling, glowing display of 200 nostalgic blow mold figures and 6,000 lights.

"I'm feeling a little bit better this year," Schuber said, "It’s still hard to do a lot of things, but I felt better. I wanted to put what I could out."

Schuber was surprised by friends and former coworkers, along with the help of their sons and other family, to erect the display so many have come to love over the last seven years. Schuber takes great pride in his family's display, but also finds hope and comfort in creating his display of the plastic, light-up figures that harken back to a simpler time in holiday decorations.

"Nobody does the true, classic way of decorating, all the old vintage stuff," Schuber said. "Our display has been called a mid-century display by a lot of different people."

Each figure has meaning for Schuber, who's been collecting them since age five. They date back decades, including two vintage, 5-foot Polk Brothers Santa Claus blow mold. A Santa's sleigh and reindeer included in the display were made in the mid-1960s, Schuber said.

"It’s the classic way of decorating," Schuber said. "If you go back into the ‘60s and ‘70s, that’s all that was available was the blow molds."

Schuber remembers when he would visit a Polk Brothers store—a major appliance and electronics retailer—where the Santa figures were sold, and apparently so do many others.

"A lot of older people that come by, they look at some of the stuff and remember they had that when they were growing up," Schuber said. "It brings back memories for them."

Schuber and his wife, along with their sons, ages 4 and 8 years old, got to work on this year's display shortly after Thanksgiving. The sense of tradition amid his treatments has brought joy to his family, and hopefully to anyone who drives by.

"To me, it means a lot to put everything up," Schuber said of his vintage display. "I told my parents at a young age, when I get my own house, that’s what I want to do."

Schuber was grateful for the unexpected extra hands.

"I didn’t know they were coming, they just showed up," he said, of friends, former coworkers, and families of their son's classmates at Helen Keller School. "I said when they got here, 'what are you guys doing here?'"

Stunned by the show of support both in person and in a GoFundMe started for the family, Sheena said her husband was also a bit reluctant to embrace it.

"It was hard to accept the help," she said.

With 150 other figures still waiting in the wings in the basement, the stage couldn't have been set without the extra hands, Schuber said.

"Without their help, I don’t think I’d have almost half of what I have up right now," Schuber said.

Schuber is just hoping people realize they've decorated again this year, and that they'll stop by to enjoy it.

"We just want people to know that we’re back to decorating this effort," Sheena said. "We don’t want all of the effort going to waste."

Erecting the display has been a bright spot in their holiday season.

"We’re counting our blessings," Sheena said. "Taking it one day at a time, counting all the good things."

The display is lit now through Dec. 23, from 5 p.m. to midnight. They extend hours Dec. 24–25, from 5 p.m. to dawn.

"That's to help Santa find his way to Tinley Park," Schuber said.

Final hours are Dec. 26 to Jan. 6, from 5 to 10 p.m.