It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
Dressed up for the season: Storefront windows catch the holiday spirit
It’s definitely Christmas time in the city. Lights are up, the bell ringers are out and a few stores have gotten into the holiday spirit, decorating windows for our viewing pleasure. It’s not New York’s window scenes for sure, but dressing in holiday style isn’t one size fits all.
Holiday windows are back on Main Street thanks to Macy’s and the Downtown District, which reached out to Theatre Under the Stars, the Houston Ballet and the Alley Theatre for window inspiration.
Planned in just a month, the groups joined creative forces and unveiled windows decorated with scenes from Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, The Nutcracker, Santaland Diaries and A Christmas Carol- A Ghost Story of Christmas. One corner window is dedicated to downtown’s holiday trolleys running through New Year’s weekend, while another window showcases Macy’s "Letters for Santa Claus" campaign.
The Macy’s windows include mannequins dressed in Nutcracker finery, a great big green Grinch and a moving train zipping through the snow and a slew of holiday gifts. It’s a start and a tradition Downtown District director of marketing and communications Angie Bertinot says will get bigger and more elaborate over time.
That’s good news for longtime Houstonians like Tudy Ellis, my Christmas-loving mother, who grew up eagerly anticipating the unveiling of the Foley’s (now Macy’s) windows.
“It was like walking into a wonderland,” she said. “There were all the different scenes and carolers strolled down the street singing. We’d start at the beginning of Main Street and it would take an hour to get down the street because everybody was looking at all the lights. You dressed like you did for church and went to look at the windows. It’s what you did.”
The downtown Sakowitz was another must-stop on the holiday window trail.
No matter what season, Events in River Oaks Shopping Center does windows better than most. Surrounded by gleaming black brick, Events’ windows aren’t traditional floor-to-ceiling length, but the most is made from the space. This year’s windows are tributes to the Twelve Days of Christmas, the Nutcracker, the Nativity, The Night Before Christmas and A Christmas Carol.
As with many of Events’ designs, the magic is in the details. Surrounded by nutcrackers, a miniature Clara sits on a sleigh, spinning slowly in one window. In another, lush greenery and swans-a-swimming share another window with Father Christmas while golden angels look over baby Jesus in another glimmering space.
Do you have a favorite holiday window or window memory? Tell us in the comments section so we can share holiday happiness around.