Holiday Windows

Barneys New York
"I wanted to do something to make people chuckle," creative director Simon Doonan told StyleList of his Saturday Night Live themed windows for Barneys New York. "Barneys is all about taste, luxury and humor and this year, we need something to chuckle about." He added, "Happy people are shopping people."

Courtesy of Barneys New York

Saks Fifth Avenue
The windows at Saks Fifth Avenue were inspired by the book "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Flake," about a snowflake on a wild journey through New York, so it's only appropriate that the building also be bedecked in snowflakes. These giant flakes, 50 in all, twinkle in a light show every 15 minutes, fueled by 2.55 miles of lights. However, because the lights are energy-efficient LED lights, the energy used to illuminate all 50 is the equivalent of what it takes to run three toaster ovens.

Courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue

Courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue

Courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue

Macy's
With 39 windows in total, Macy's Herald Square has the most Christmas windows in America. The store's six Broadway windows are themed "Dear Santa" and offer an interactive window where viewers can write their own Santa letter and see where it goes, like in this window, a view into the tornado that takes your Christmas wishes to the North Pole after the mailbox door closes. No small undertaking, Macy's director of windows Paul Olszewski told StyleList, the Broadway windows contain 95 pounds of glitter, 10,000 screws, 750 pounds of steel, 205 gallons of paint and were fueled by 6,800 cups of coffee.

Courtesy of Macy's

Bloomingdale's
Looking for whimsical, humorous scenes that could only happen in New York, Bloomingdale's created one-of-a-kind sights, like these dynamic duos waiting to see Santa for its Lexington Avenue windows. The 59th Street side of Bloomingdale's is decorated with 18,900 lights, and the Third Avenue side with 28,000, that take four weeks to be installed.

Courtesy of Bloomingdale's

Nordstrom
Nordstrom doesn't unveil its holiday decorations until Black Friday, weeks after most others, because "It is important to celebrate one holiday at a time" a company spokeswoman told StyleList. Each Nordstrom store created its own original holiday window design inspired by the book, "Once Upon a Holiday: The Moon Fell Out of the Sky." The retailer's San Francisco Centre store, shown here, features many of the magical woodland creatures from the book.

Courtesy of Nordstrom

Bergdorf Goodman
Inspired by the works of Lewis Carroll, Bergdorf Goodman's "Compendium of Curiosities," features familiar scenes interpreted in a very sophisticated way. "Through the Looking Glass," shown here, is an all mirror window, featuring a floor-to-ceiling Venetian mirror with a girl trying to enter it.

Courtesy of Bergdorf Goodman

Henri Bendel
It's not a traditional tree, but Henri Bendel's Swarovski-bedecked tree is nevertheless pretty spectacular. Three stories high, the lights on the tree change color and are flanked by 21 Da Vinci Chandeliers by Schonbek. The largest of these chandeliers is 36 inches in diameter and all 21 weigh over 2,000 combined. How's that for a festival of lights?

Courtesy of Henri Bendel