I recently blogged about one my family’s favorite holiday rituals—-driving to Chicago to take in the spectacular holiday window displays at Macy’s on State Street. Each year the famous department store chooses a theme and fills their massive windows with intricate decorations and kid friendly animated characters.
People line up for blocks and brave the vicious winds whipping off of Lake Michigan to take part in this annual holiday tradition. If I wasn’t one of the lemmings who took part in the event myself I’d surely think the people who stood in line for more than an hour to peer into the glass cases were suffering from more than just frostbite.
However, I can attest that once you’ve visited it becomes addicting. And residents and visitors to Chicago are not the only ones who take part in the free display gazing. Cities from New York to Seattle, Dallas to Honolulu deck their windows in a similar fashion and draw just as many visitors.
In the coming days I will spotlight each city and detail their displays. Let’s begin with one of the most visited cities in the world–the Big Apple.
Many of Manhattan’s destination stores have already hosted thousands of tourists outside of their buildings. And interestingly, while the store locations may vary each has a central theme this year—“A Greater Good.”
Leading the charge is Barneys New York, which has a green theme, with a Rudolph the Recycling Reindeer mascot window display. The store has adopted a “give good green” theme and shoppers can view an oversized reindeer made of aluminum soda cans and beer-bottle caps in their windows.
At rival Bloomingdale’s, underprivileged children were invited to help with the window designs. And Gucci’s windows are touting a fundraising effort for UNICEF–against a backdrop of handbags and shoes, of course.
Over at Saks Fifth Avenue customers (or at least window watchers) learn the importance of embracing diversity with the “Snowpeople” campaign. The display was inspired by the children’s book of the same name. The book, written by Rick and Ryan Zeeb and illustrated by Trish Burgio, tells the story of snow people who begin to wonder why they all look alike. They decide it’s boring to be surrounded by friends and family with the same carrot noses and coal mouths, so they head to New York to find their own personal styles. The windows tell the same tale, narrated by Marlo Thomas. The partnership with the award-winning actress also includes a complementary fundraising partnership for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital; the medical facility started by her famous father the late entertainer Danny Thomas.
Lord & Taylor’s windows take a more nostalgic approach by emphasizing the simple pleasures of Christmas, while Macy’s takes a more traditional route with “Santa’s Big Night.” Over at Bergdorf Goodman, the windows celebrate the elements — earth, air, fire, water and light.
If you don’t mind the wait I would highly recommend taking in the sights. After all, if you are in town already you might as well take advantage of as many free events as you can.
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