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People look at a holiday window display at Macy’s Herald Square in New York
(New York, NY) — A big part of the holiday season are the holiday windows at New York City department stores. The New York City Christmas department store window tradition started with Macy’s in 1874, when it was located on 14th Street. The windows had still life displays. However, by 1883 the windows had more elaborate moving parts. Throughout the years, windows became more popular and prestigious to design. Many artists, like Jasper Johns and Andy Warhol, have designed holiday windows. In addition, even L. Frank Baum, who wrote The Wizard of Oz designed Christmas department store window.
Fast forward to today. The windows are so popular that Macy’s even has a backup generator to make sure the window displays keep moving should there by a blackout. According to the New York Times, there are also video cameras aimed at the windows. So many years later, this year’s windows come complete with computer programs and hydraulics to make sure everything keeps moving.
