Merry and bright: NYC holiday windows

One of our family holiday traditions is to walk around Manhattan on Christmas Eve. We look at the city decorations, the famous 5th Avenue store windows, and the Rockefeller tree. Then we eat sushi.

This year it was cold and rainy on Christmas Eve so Wilson agreed to play chauffeur. We started at Barney’s on Madison Avenue and 60th Street and worked our way down 5th Avenue. When we got to a store, the kids and I would jump out to check out the windows while Wilson took a lap around the block.

I give you my pics of the best of 5th Avenue over the holidays……

Barney’s is always amazingly artsy, textured and wild but this year was a huge let down. Each of their windows was filled with video screens playing corny music and showing psychedelic colored lights. They called it “Electric Holiday” but to me it was anything but.

Bergdorf Goodman did not disappoint with a magic theme that had 5 windows featuring gorgeous handmade designer dresses with edgy concepts. I love the textures and attention to detail. (Real enthusiasts see the BG windows blog for design details.)

One was filled from floor to ceiling with white feathers of all kinds. Another had a giant performing seal made completely of mosaic tiles of grey and mirrored glass.

Yet another made the window look like the aerial view of a musicians’ party on a checkered floor, dressed in fabulous clothes, of course.

Further down on 5th Avenue, we saw the amazing wrap around jewels at the Bulgari boutique….

….and the sparkly belts and dripping icicles at the Fendi store.

Cartier was wrapped in a two-story bright red bow of light.

We made our way to Saks but the crowds were huge and the windows not that special so couldn’t get any good photos of those. But did get one last shot of the Rockefeller tree as we whizzed by.

Then we ended the night at Haru on the Upper West Side where I had a “Perfect Fantasy” roll and  a glass of wine. The kids cleaned their plates and — infected with holiday spirit– we had a fun family dinner.

Hope you all had sparkly holidays filled with love and laughter!