It was only a matter of time before Windows met windows. And that time has come — the holiday displays have gone high-tech. Look no further than the LED “ribbon” ’round Cartier and the digitally enhanced windows all around town.
Even in dark times — joblessness, swine flu, the loss of “Oprah” — there’s nothing a few billion Swarovski crystals can’t lighten up. Global-warming experts come and go, but that giant snowflake at Fifth and 57th still glows strong at dusk.
Looking into these windows, it’s hard not to feel young again — even hopeful. Read on, then see them for yourself. Happy holidays!
Bergdorf Goodman
754 Fifth Ave., at 58th Street
THEME: A Compendium of Curiosities”
DRAWS: What happens when designer David Hoey and his team of elves immerse themselves in Lewis Carroll for a year? A psychedelic world of mirrors and magically receding staircases; flamingo croquet and mad tea parties, where the guests wear Alexander McQueen. You could stand here for hours.
DON’T MISS: The men’s store across the street has filled its windows with figures and sets from the film “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” The only thing more adorable? Putting George Clooney himself in there.
Macy’s
34th Street at Herald Square
THEME: “Dear Santa . . .”
DRAWS: Macy’s goes postal — and we mean that in the nicest possible way. The first window is at 34th Street, where three touch screens let you assemble (via ready-made phrases) your own letter to Santa. As you head north, you’ll see how Santa & Co. sort through and deliver on our dreams.
DON’T MISS: The Ferris wheel-like turning of hundred of letters, and the elf at the chalkboard keeping track of the nice, the naughty and in-between. File us under “Naughty, but trying not to be.”
Saks Fifth Avenue
THEME: “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Flake”
DRAWS: Windows 7, meet Windows ’09. Microsoft juices up Saks’ most high-tech display to date with more than 20 synchronized video monitors. The story itself is simple (and a lot like last year’s, maybe because the writer’s the same): Twinkle the snowflake gets sucked into a jet engine and sees the world before fluttering home . . . to Saks.
DON’T MISS: The overstuffed skater who flails on the ice, ringed by a passel of penguins. Note to the Twitterati: Saks shows you how to tweet your holiday wishes right from the windows.
Bloomingdale’s
Lexington Avenue at 59th Street
THEME: “Happy Merry Peace Love Holiday World”
DRAWS: Talk about covering your bases. Bloomie’s fills
nearly a dozen windows with a toast to togetherness and love, including a shout-out to such dynamic duos as Batman and Robin (at their most metrosexual); the First Couple (alas, looking a tad waxy — paging Madame
Tussauds!) and, naturally, our favorite North Pole couple — Santa and Mrs. Claus.
DON’T MISS: The Smile-O-Matic lets you see yourself on a big screen, flanked by a parade of digitally remastered masterpieces — Edvard Munch’s “The Scream,” Botticelli’s “Venus” — each baring their pearly whites. Fun!
Barney’s
660 Madison Ave., at 61st Street
THEME: “Have a Witty Holiday”
DRAWS: Window wiz Simon Doonan finds a worthy subject in
“Saturday Night Live” — all 34 years’ worth. Leave it to him to turn Debbie Downer and the gang into Christmas ornaments! Wayne’s World, Church Lady — they’re all here, stationed above a floorful of old “SNL” scripts. Remember Paul Simon in a turkey suit singing “Still Crazy After All These Years”? Doonan does!
DON’T MISS: The Coneheads’ living room, replete with the “Cone-a-Lisa” and Alice Sebold’s best-selling “The Lovely Cones.”
Lord & Taylor
424 Fifth Ave., at 38th Street
THEME: “What We Love”
DRAWS: Even L&T — the king of quaint — dips its toes into the digital world this year. Now you can see its Victorian skaters moving on a screen, bombarded by a digital blizzard. Old-fashioned thrills are the best, though: the detailed scenes of wide-eyed children and dogs, dozing by the fireplace; tasteful music and evergreen awnings.
DON’T MISS: The window devoted to Christmas treats, with its gingerbread carousel ringed by handsome twirling reindeer.