Strolling along Fifth Avenue and admiring the holiday windows is a tradition that will continue this year amid the pandemic. The 2020 department store window displays are focused on bringing cheer to New Yorkers in a year when we could all use some uplifting holiday spirit. While the windows will still display glamourous gifts, fashion, and accessories, messages of kindness, gratitude, and togetherness are paramount in the festive designs. Check out the 2020 holiday window displays of iconic New York City shopping destinations like Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s and more!

1. Bergdorf Goodman’s

Fashion takes a backseat to goodness in the theme of Bergdorf Goodman’s holiday window displays this year. The #BergdorfGoodness campaign was inspired by the goodness and strong values shown throughout this difficult year. Instead of being filled with luxurious dresses, jewels, and shoes (though a few windows still are), the windows along the Fifth Avenue facade each represent a single core value.

The values displayed in the Bergdorf Goodman windows include love, hope, harmony, joy, peace, equality, kindness, and unity. The display, while still eye-catching and festive, is more simplistic this year. Every window is taken up by just one word. The letters of each word are three-dimensional and faced in a polychromatic acrylic mirror that reflects the viewer and the scene outside.

2. Bloomingdale’s

Bloomingdale’s unveiled its color block windows with a special virtual event benefiting the Child Mind Institute, a charity Bloomingdale’s has partnered with for holiday campaigns since 2009. Each window display expresses a sentiment of Bloomingdale’s “Give Happy.” Each of the five monochromatic scenes when viewed together along the Lexington Avenue facade creates a color block rainbow. An entry window incorporates all of the separate colors into one multi-hued neon display.

All of the colorful scenes are sparkly, flashy, and bright with tons of glitter and mirrored side walls which create an infinity effect. In the red “Give Love”  window, giant hearts are surrounded by a sea of striped candy canes. In the green “Give Snuggles” window, a mannequin strikes a pose surrounded by a wreath made of fluffy teddy bears, and in the yellow “Give a Smile” window, a mannequin sits in a spinning disco ball smiley face created by local New York City artist, Allison Eden. An extra special feature of this year’s windows is that you can smell them too! Pine, peppermint and other scents are piped out to the street for a multi-sensory experience.

3. Macy’s

This year’s holiday window displays at Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square are dedicated to frontline workers. One scene depicts the Empire State Building surrounded by colorful light-up signs that say “Thank You” in various languages. Emblazoned on the glass of the window is a thank you note from Macy’s to “…the ones keeping our city safe. To the ones who are unapologetic in their pursuit of a fair and equal world. To the New Yorkers who stayed when thousands did not,” and others who have helped the city through this difficult time.

A heart on the bottom left side of the window implores passersby to stop and clap, just like we did every day at 7:00pm during lockdown to honor frontline workers. To encourage social distancing while admiring the display, there are markers on the sidewalk that tell you where to stand. Macy’s tradition of putting up holiday window displays dates all the way back to 1874!

4. Tiffany & Co.

The Tiffany & Co. holiday window display is in a different set of windows than the previous eighty years. Back in January of 2020, the flagship store made a clandestine move from its iconic location at 727 Fifth Avenue to the former Niketown store on 57th Street, around the corner. The building has a large arched window that reaches up to the top floor of the building, a perfect frame for this year’s holiday decorations.

Inside the windows of Tiffany’s temporary location, you will find an assortment of Tiffany blue boxes along with gilded Christmas tree shapes and giant Christmas ornaments emblazoned with the Tiffany logo. Small gold TV-shaped figures display images of Tiffany’s sparkling jewelry.

5. Saks Fifth Avenue

At Saks Fifth Avenue, the 2020 holiday window displays embody the theme “This is How We Celebrate.” The windows demonstrate how New Yorkers, and people around the country, have found new ways to gather and celebrate with loved ones amid the pandemic. In one of the six windows, warm drinks are served from a food truck, in another, a couple brings a mountain of gifts on the Roosevelt Island tram over the East River. In a widow reminiscent of the elaborate holiday decorations found in Dyker Heights, two neighbors plug in their decorative lights.

In addition to the window displays, Saks will continue its light show, “Saks Lights Up Fifth Avenue.” The show is all-new this year with world-premiere music. The new soundtrack pays tribute to different holiday traditions and incorporates songs like José Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad” and the theme from Love Actually.

6. Cartier

The big red bow is back on the historic facade of Cartier’s flagship Fifth Avenue storefront. New this year is a pawing white panther leaning over the ribbon. In addition to the big bow and glowing panther, Cartier’s flags bring holiday cheer with seasonal greetings in different languages. The windows are ringed with thick, lighted garland and inside the windows, a white panther slinks and lounges among dazzling jewels arranged on mountains of white gift boxes.

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