Santa Claus Lane on display in La Grange neighborhood

“Here comes Santa Claus, Here comes Santa Claus, Right down Santa Claus Lane.”

The lyrics of that Christmas song – written and sung by Gene Autry in 1947 – easily can apply to Ashland Avenue in La Grange and Countryside this year.

Each night, between 47th Street and Plainfield Road, more than 30 inflatable Santa Claus figures stand in front of homes.

Each one is 20 feet tall and costs about $175.

Last year, Jonathan Amir had an inflatable snowman in his yard looking across Ashland at Luke Wojtasik’s inflatable Santa.

“This year, I wanted to compete and I bought the Santa. I love Santa Claus,” said Amir, 39, who works in sales.

Grant Hamilton saw the dueling Santas in late November a few doors down from his house in the 1000 block of Ashland Avenue.

“They were kind of waving at each other. I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if I got one, too?’ ” Hamilton, 49, said.

Hamilton did. He and Wojtasik , 44, then reached out to other residents up and down Ashland about doing the same.

Although they do not know some of their neighbors, many took up the cause.

“It’s been a word of mouth thing that has grown,” Hamilton said.

If you drive down Ashland Avenue, you will notice each Santa is a little different.

Some hold candy canes. Some have green mittens. One stands beside a huge Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Another is atop the roof of perhaps the best-decorated house in La Grange.

“When I pull up, it’s like the Macy’s (Thanksgiving Day) Parade,” Hamilton said of seeing all the inflatables.

The Santa enthusiasts are serious. They are on a text chain in which weather updates are posted.

If it’s too windy, say over 15 mph, it’s recommended to not inflate your Santa lest you run the risk of it being torn open.

“Four or five of them have ripped when the wind gets high,” Hamilton said.

The Santa Claus idea has brought a “community building aspect,” said Hamilton, who owns Imperial Oak Brewing in Brookfield and Willow Springs.

“You get to know your neighbor a little bit better and have the camaraderie that you’re all doing the same thing,” Hamilton said. “I guess the only negative is the possibility of ripping.”

Wojtasik, a mortgage banker, is happy others have caught the decorating bug.

“The point is just bringing the neighborhood together. That Christmas spirit,” Wojtasik said.

“It’s more for the kiddos, reliving your childhood through the kids’ eyes,” said Wojtasik, whose 7-year-old son Sebastian hopes to find a dog under the Christmas tree.

Thinking ahead, Wojtasik bought an extra Santa.

“God forbid a Santa goes down,” he said.

Not a lot of work is needed, just four stakes driven into the yard. Fans in the boots inflate each Santa in a few moments.

Wojtasik, a graduate of Nazareth Academy, is hoping local TV news stations visit with their cameras before Christmas “to let every neighborhood in Chicago know.”

Hamilton thinks there eventually may be 40 Santa Claus figures towering over Ashland Avenue.

Wojtasik already is planning ahead to 2025. He’s contacted a wholesaler about possible discounts for bulk sales.

Amir realizes not everyone is able to decorate outdoors.

But those that are able to “need to watch a couple Christmas movies and understand what the Christmas spirit is all about,” Amir said.