Top 5 holiday window displays in NYC

Abigail Weinberg, Staff Writer

For clothing retailers across the city, the holidays are a time to deck store windows with elaborate displays, each trying to outdo the rest. If you’re looking for a sight to see without stepping foot in a museum, these are the best decorated store windows to check out.

Burberry

9 E. 57th St.

The British fashion retailer’s adorable Christmas windows feature a circular conveyer belt of red, wooden nutcrackers bearing gifts. Another window shows mechanical, spinning nutcrackers alongside a plump, wooden Santa Claus. While the display’s visual decorations border on hectic, the simple and relatable theme will bring back memories of opening presents on Christmas morning.

Bloomingdale’s

1000 Third Ave.

A huge, geometric reindeer in gold sways mechanically amid a pile of roses, while a similarly constructed polar bear sits among peppermints. Other windows show curious woodland scenes, and one even offers an interactive photo booth. Inside, more giant reindeer stand beneath massive Christmas ornaments that hang from the ceiling, leaving shoppers feeling as if they’ve stumbled upon a winter wonderland right in the middle of the city.

Macy’s Herald Square

151 W. 34th St.

The world’s second largest store takes up an entire city block, and its larger-than-life displays are centered around Virginia O’Hanlon of “Yes, Virginia: There Is a Santa Claus” and the comic strip “Peanuts.” Apart from an interactive version of Schroeder’s piano and a mechanical wilting Christmas tree, the windows ironically feature quotes from “A Charlie Brown Christmas” about the over-commercialization of the holiday season. The massive moving displays and over-the-top images of Peanuts characters’ faces are nevertheless appealing and may leave the viewer pondering the meaning of Christmas in a swarm of presents and materialism.

Tiffany & Co.

727 Fifth Ave.

These windows are small yet ornate. Each miniature, blue-and-white doorway display reveals a different tiny scene — one window contains little chandeliers while another houses reindeer and wolf figurines. The intricacy of the displays does not detract from the dazzling beauty of the few items of jewelry they contain. Take a stroll past Tiffany’s and you’ll be left gazing at sparkling rings and necklaces just like Holly Golightly.

Bergdorf Goodman

754 Fifth Ave.

Bergdorf’s famous windows always garner a crowd. This year, the theme is Swarovski crystals with each display featuring a highly ornate scene. “The Crown Jewels” shows a woman reminiscent of Queen Elizabeth I seated upon a crystal throne. “Treasured” depicts a King Neptune made of pearls and “Hidden Gem” contains a purple-clad miner amid massive hunks of amethyst. Don’t walk by these windows in a rush; each display is a work of art, all the more impressive because they’re temporary.

Email Abigail Weinberg at [email protected].