They’re here, and they’re spectacular. Manhattan has officially decked its halls for the 2025 holiday season — and the real stars aren’t on a tree; they’re behind glass.
Midtown’s world-famous collection of department stores is pulling out all the stops this year — from Herald Square to 57th Street, the city has been transformed into a glittering winter playground.
And while window shoppers can expect everything from a hands-on holiday “Funhouse” bursting with lights, colors, and interactive surprises at Nordstrom, to Bloomingdale’s is wrapped in a giant glowing Burberry scarf, with knights, bears, and a luxe pop-up carousel, here’s the real news: Saks is back.
After remaining dark in 2024, Saks Fifth Avenue’s Rockefeller rink-adjacent flagship is once again lighting up the block with a jaw-dropping display, featuring twinkling two-story ornaments, and the Rockettes strutting their iconic kickline for good measure.
To celebrate the return of the show, the world-famous kickline crew high-stepped straight from Radio City onto Fifth Avenue, decked out in their red “New York at Christmas” costumes and custom “Saks”-blinged hairpieces, to turn on the lights in Spectacular style earlier this week — talk about a comeback.
Whether you’re a local dodging commuters, a tourist snapping Insta reels, or just someone who loves a little glam with your hot chocolate, these displays aren’t just for looking — they’re for experiencing, posing in front of, and maybe even getting lost in.
Make some room, Rockefeller Center tree — this year, there’s a lot of holiday magic happening right at street level.
Saks Fifth Avenue
On Nov. 24, Saks unleashed its much-anticipated light show, turning their stretch of Fifth Avenue into a dazzling runway of exploding ornaments, two-story-tall “gems,” and enough LED wattage to make Times Square blush.
The whole spectacle is tied to this year’s theme, “Holiday Your Way,” which apparently translates to: “Do whatever you want, as long as it sparkles.”
“The return of our holiday light show honors Saks Fifth Avenue’s legacy as a destination for extraordinary experiences that inspire connection,” Kristin Maa, Chief Marketing Officer, Saks Global, said in a written statement, noting that this featured “captivating visual choreography” and an “uplifting cross-generational soundtrack.”
To celebrate the Rockettes’ 100th birthday, Saks stuffed its windows with a greatest-hits fashion archive: iconic costumes, original sketches, and vintage looks by legends like Bob Mackie, plus throwbacks from “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” “12 Days of Christmas,” and “Dance of the Frost Fairies.”
The main Fifth Avenue windows? Pure sugarplum fever dream.
Shoppers peering in will find New York City gone full fairy tale: an Enchanted Atrium dripping in holiday glamour; a bakery bursting with XXL sweets; a taxi so overloaded with presents it defies basic science; a glitzy night at the theater; a snowy Central Park rowboat stuffed with gifts; and a townhouse-style advent calendar straight out of a Christmas rom-com.
Around the corner on 49th and 50th streets, Saks keeps the fantasy going with more vignettes — and a parade of designer looks from Fendi, Valentino, Michael Kors and more designer members of fashion’s A-team.
The message: however you holiday, make sure you’re dressed like someone who always gets invited backstage.
Through Jan. 4, 611 Fifth Ave.
Bloomingdale’s
Bloomingdale’s didn’t just deck the halls this year — it went full fashion fantasy.
The 59th and Lex landmark is now bundled up like a very expensive Christmas present — swaddled in a giant glowing Burberry scarf that’s basically impossible to miss unless you’re staring directly into your phone.
The store’s holiday windows — a collab with the British luxury label — are a cheeky little snow globe of Burberry Knights caught in peak festive chaos: trimming trees, shopping up a storm, and spreading tartan cheer like it’s their full-time job.
“We wanted to have a sense of humor and a fun wink with our storyline,” set designer Stefan Beckman told The Post.
“Using the Burberry knight was our start of the process. We envisioned a knight family celebrating for the holidays. They lived in a traditional English cottage but done in color.”
It’s all part of Bloomingdale’s “Happy Together” theme, a warm-and-fuzzy ode to togetherness, tradition, and whatever holiday magic money can buy.
Inside, the Burberry takeover goes even deeper. The Carousel, Bloomie’s rotating pop-up playground, has been completely claimed by the brand, stocked with exclusive capsules in every department.
Expect the works: signature checks, polished outerwear, giftable accessories, and the kind of British polish that will make you want to narrate your life in a posh accent.
Through Jan. 4; 1000 Third Ave.
Bergdorf Goodman
From Bergdorf’s, you expect style, and that’s exactly what you get this year with “The Bergdorf Soirée,” a fashion-forward, nine-window saga paying homage to the city’s chic holiday party scene — preserved behind glass for the rest of us to gawk at.
The big reveal on Nov. 20 came with a serious kind of pomp: a brass band blasting down the block, Santa working the crowd, and style queen Linda Fargo leading the countdown like she was dropping the Times Square ball herself.
This year’s fantasyland sprawls across both the women’s and men’s stores, each window more over-the-top than the last. The women’s side is a Technicolor trip through delicious holiday party chaos.
There’s an after-hours Mad Hatters rager, where the accessories are so oversized they’d give the Red Queen whiplash — including a hat modeled after Bergdorf’s own chandelier. A masquerade scene serves up masks, mystery and delicate paper sculptures honoring everyone from poets to clockmakers.
The “Game Night” window replaces your family’s passive-aggressive Monopoly session with surreal animal party guests, while “Holiday Glow Up” looks like a neon-block-party fever dream powered by LED lights and hand-painted signage.
The finale? A New Year’s Eve countdown dripping in clocks, crystals and enough sparkle to blind the ball in Times Square.
All of it’s dressed to the nines, of course — in looks from Tom Ford, Givenchy by Sarah Burton, Balmain, Marc Jacobs, Christopher John Rogers, Valentino and other fashion heavyweights.
Across the street, the men’s store goes full black-and-white glamour — the moody sibling to the women’s Technicolor blowout.
“The beloved holiday windows are brought to life by a team of 100 artisans who work meticulously over the course of nine months to create hand-crafted cinematic portraits that celebrate the art of the Soirée,” Linda Fargo, SVP, Fashion Office & Store Presentation said in a written statement.
They even repurpose materials from past displays, proving sustainability can sparkle, too.
“Our windows are a love letter to the creative process itself, infusing various artistic mediums from paper sculpture, soft sculpture, mosaic and more.”
Through Jan. 5, 754 Fifth Ave.
Macy’s
Macy’s isn’t just dusting off the tinsel this year — it’s cracking open 160 years of holiday history and blasting it across its Herald Square windows like the store’s own festive highlight reel.
The 2025 theme, “The Most Wonderful Stories Start Here,” turns the block-long display into a greatest-hits tour of Macy’s legendary “firsts”: the first Santa it ever hired, the first window displays back in 1874, the first Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924 and even a nod to “Miracle on 34th Street.”
Manny Urquizo, Macy’s director of Storewide Visual Campaigns & Windows, told The Post the team starts dreaming up these tableaux almost a year in advance — and every season, the challenge is to top themselves.
This time around, the windows aren’t just pretty; they’re practically a time machine dusted with glitter. Urquizo said the idea was to retell Macy’s own origin story the way only Macy’s can: bold, bright and larger than life.
The displays are meant to jog decades of memories for New Yorkers who grew up pressed against the glass — and give kids seeing it for the first time a new set of traditions to latch onto.
What makes this edition special, he said, is how deeply it mines that history, “from 1861 to today,” and turns it into something that feels both nostalgic and fresh.
“The windows are designed to spark joy, nostalgia and curiosity, inviting customers and passersby to pause, take in the storytelling and experience a moment of holiday magic in the heart of New York City,” Urquizo said.
Through Jan. 2, 151 W 34th St.
Nordstrom
Nordstrom is turning its NYC flagship into a full-on holiday playground with the debut of “Oh, What Funhouse!” — a festive, hands-on experience that celebrates childhood wonder and the thrill of gifting.
The fun kicks off at the main 57th Street entrance, where shoppers are greeted by a tunnel of twinkling LED lights, suspended metallic letters shouting “OH, WHAT FUN!”, and a marquee-lit gateway into the festivities.
“The inspiration behind this year’s holiday décor is all about joy, playfulness, and a sense of unexpected fun,” Olivia Kim, SVP of Creative at Nordstrom, told The Post.
“We wanted to reimagine the traditional holiday experience and create something that feels immersive and energizing.”
The theme transforms the store into a “vibrant playground, encouraging guests to explore, discover, and celebrate the season in a way that feels instinctive and expressive.”
From “concept sketches to full-scale installations, every detail is thoughtfully refined to create a cohesive experience across the store,” she added.
Every corner is packed with holiday surprises, meant to spark curiosity and lure everyone — locals and tourists alike — into a merry, immersive world of gifting and cheer.
One of the most exciting aspects of the display is how the décor “engages multiple senses,” Kim shared.
“These details make the store feel like a holiday playground, where guests can discover something new at every turn.”
Through New Year’s, 225 W. 57th St.
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