Tag Archives: holiday windows

Macy’s 2010 Holiday Windows – “Believe”

As has been the the theme of the past few years, Macy’s is once again going with “Believe” as the overarching theme for the holidays with the story of “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” being the story depicted in the holiday windows. I found a pane by pane description from a newspaper which I would normally just link to but they’ve since taken it from their website and is only available in Google Cache. Those cached pages don’t usually last long so I’m just gonna copy and paste it here:

Window 1: The story starts outside the O’Hanlon’s house. A stained-glass window opens to reveal Virginia’s bedroom, in which Virginia and her friend, Ollie, talk about Santa. It then shifts to the O’Hanlon’s kitchen table, where Virginia’s father says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.”

Window 2: An apartment-building courtyard and Charlotte, a sort of 9-year-old know-it-all, tells the kids that Santa’s impossible.

Window 3: Virginia and Ollie go to the New York Public Library to research Santa. A librarian combs the stacks for Santa books. LED books come into view, showing the different Santa names: Father Christmas, Cinter Klas, Bellsnickle, Kriss Kringle or Chimney John.

Window 4: Virginia talks to her father about Santa and she gets the idea to write the letter. The scene shifts to her room, where she writes the letter. Then it shifts to a scene with Virginia’s mother, who explains that Santa isn’t something you prove, it’s something you do. When you do nice things for other people, that’s the proof of Santa.

Window 5: Starts with an elevated train overhead and then focuses on the street outside The Sun offices, where Virginia meets a scraggly street Santa who has just given his coat to a homeless woman. We then hear Virginia’s mom talking about doing kind things for others. The scene shifts to inside The Sun, where the editor reads the letter. Virginia gives a coat to the shivering Santa, who tells her, “Today, you’re Santa Claus.”

Window 6: The town turns into Christmas, it decorates itself as the editorial is being heard.

Merry Christmas, everyone! I’m off to enjoy Chinese hot pot!

These photos were taken on December 24, 2010.

Lord & Taylor’s 2008 Holiday Windows

The same night I took photos of the Macy’s holiday window displays in 2008, I also walked up to Lord & Taylor on Fifth Avenue so I could check out their own holiday windows. Contrasted with the more fantastical theme of the Macy’s display, the one here is decidedly more classic. Classic but definitely ornate and intricate. There were a lot of moving parts in this display, maybe not more than Macy’s but definitely more than something I expected to be more staid and, frankly, more stuffy. I still personally prefer Macy’s for their creativity but going classic ain’t bad either.

These photos were taken on December 18, 2008.

Macy’s 2008 Holiday Windows – “Believe”

These were posted on a previous blog of mine – don’t remember which one because I’ve gone through quite a few in the past two to three years – but I figured it’s worth reposting, especially as it really is ’tis the season. The Macy’s 2008 holiday windows theme was “Believe” which I think is still the theme, even in 2010. I could be wrong. I haven’t seen this year’s windows yet but I’m hoping to check those out soon.

For a better description of 2008’s theme, I’ll let designer Paul Olszewski explain:

I wanted to take all the simple things that surround us during the holidays and make you believe that so much more goes into them, so much magic goes into them, than meets the eye.

These photos were taken on December 18, 2008.

Barneys “Foodie Holiday”

If you’re not yet tired of the term “foodie,” then this holiday window display just might put you over the edge. At the very least, we can probably put aside the notion that it hasn’t jumped the shark. Still, it’s an interesting choice from Barneys New York to go with a “Foodie Holiday” window display this year. After all, we get Anthony Bourdain, Daniel Boulud, Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Mario Batali, and Guy Fieri all in the same room! I’m sure Bourdain would have plenty to say to Fierir if their flesh and bones counterparts were ever in the same room. For now, we’ll just have to imagine that he’d be doing something not so different from the scene depicted – Bourdain cheering while Fieri is flat on his ass on the floor.

More Info: NYT Magazine.

These photos were taken on November 15, 2010.