Yes, Christmas shopping can be a nightmare (the crowds! the gift-anxiety!), but these eye-popping window displays will wow even the scroogiest of Scrooges. From NY to Paris, the holiday windows that captured our imagination this holiday season.
Photos courtesy of Lord & Taylor
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Lord & Taylor, New York
Lord & Taylor, New York
With its dancing raccoons, ice-skating bunnies and sleeping foxes, this year’s Lord & Taylor window display is clearly catered towards kids. But that didn’t stop us from stopping to ogle the whimsical, enchanted forest-themed windows, which feature 34 hand-sculptured animals, over 9,000 feet of garland, foliage, and twinkling lights.
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Barneys, New York
Barneys, New York
This luxury retailer's window display depict creations interpretations of “Love, Peace and Joy,” by such acclaimed artists as Nick Cave, Rob Pruitt, and Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park.
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Bloomingdale's, New York
Bloomingdale's, New York
It’s all about the lights at Bloomingdale's 2016 holiday windows. Visual artists including Inma Barrero, Erika deVries and Jonah Meyer were commissioned to create one-of-a-kind chandeliers that are being auctioned off, through December 20, with profits benefiting the Child Mind Institute.
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Bergdorf Goodman, New York
Bergdorf Goodman, New York
Bergdorf Goodman wowed us last year with its head-turning Swarovski-covered crystal window displays. We were left similarly stunned after taking in this year’s dreamlike dioramas of dense green jungles, deep-blue lagoons and magical greenhouses. It’s so mesmerizing, you’ll want to climb right in to the displays.
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Tiffany & Co., New York
Tiffany & Co., New York
You'll never desire a little blue box more than you will after taking in the jeweler's 5th Ave windows. The Tiffany-blue display, called “Make the World Sparkle,” depicts various Manhattan landmarks (think: Hudson River and Rockefeller Center) adorned with glittering jewels, china and other sparkling merchandise.
Photos courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue
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Saks Fifth Avenue, New York
Saks Fifth Avenue, New York
You’ll get a sugar high just staring at Saks Fifth Avenue window display — all whipped cotton candy, giant swirl lollipops, and mounds of rock candy. As such, we’d recommend not seeing it on an empty stomach.
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Macy's, New York
Macy's, New York
If Santa, reindeer, and snowflakes is what you seek, make a beeline to Macy’s in New York’s Herald Square. Each of the store’s six window displays evoke the spirit and magic of season through designer Roya Sullivan's portrayals of the North Pole.
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Galeries Lafayette, Paris
Galeries Lafayette, Paris
French department store Galeries Lafayette is capitalizing on all the holiday foot traffic to bring awareness to global warming. The retailer’s “Amazing Arctic Christmas” tells the tale of a family of polar bears who must journey from the North Pole in search of a new home due to melting ice caps. In addition to shedding light on an important cause, the brilliant all-white display serves up a fair bit of eye candy, as well.
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Printemps, Paris
Printemps, Paris
Puppeteer Jean-Claude Dehix is behind the lifelike, hand-crafted characters in Printemps’ 2016 window display, which tells the story of two fictional children, Jules and Violette, as they adventure through the store on Christmas eve. Our favorite scene (pictured) depicts the children dancing on the clouds above the city rooftops.
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Macy's, San Francisco
Macy's, San Francisco
There’s a reason we put another Macy’s on this list. Every year, the SF outpost partners with the San Francisco Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) to fill its window dioramas with adoptable cats and dogs. The program has found loving homes for 2,500 furbabies and raised more than $500,000 in just over ten years. No doubt, it's the most adorable display you'll ever see.
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Fortnum & Mason, London
Fortnum & Mason, London
In an explicit acknowledgment of this year's Brexit vote, the theme for this Piccadilly retailer’s Christmas campaign is “Together We’re Merrier.” Each window tells the tale of an unlikely pairing—from a bull and china to a lobster and a chef— to emphasize the importance of togetherness and cordiality.
Photo courtesy of Selfridges
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Selfridges, London
Selfridges, London
There’s something for everyone at this London retailer’s window display. We’re talking mannequins draped in the season’s most sought-after collections, 90 glittering disco balls (plus, a different party soundtrack for each window), and scenes of Santa in various mischievous scenarios, from playing bartender to DJ’ing a party.
