Welcome to Day 4 in WeNdYs WiNtEr WoNdErLaNd !!
You are in for a treat today! The view from under Wendys Warm Winter Hat will dazzle you! It's all about visual wonders and fun during Christmas! {And if you know me, you know how visual I am!} Who doesn't love to go out and just look at something beautiful and magical?! One of my favorite sayings is "A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever". So with that I bring you a favorite tradition that I receive much joy from and it is looking at Christmas Windows & Displays!
A favorite book of mine explains the phenomenon of Christmas Window Displays in NYC from the late 1800's through 2000 {when it was published}. This book happens to have such fascinating facts in it! This has been such a tradition with people all over the world for so many years. The process is no easy task with teams of people working everyday of the year for the next one {without a break}. What a dream job! I was first exposed to this world of window displays when I had a class in college for this. Actually three of my classes: Fashion Merchandising, and Display, and Fibers went on a field trip to NYC. Fun!
This is a great activity and fun tradition for children {of all ages}!! If you do this in your own, or nearby city, it is a free activity too. Here is a picture of my girls in front of a fabulous NYC window the year our family spent the week of Christmas in New York City. I highly recommend it!
So settle into your comfy chair while I take you on your own virtual Christmas Window & Display fieldtrip! OK get really settled in because it's a long trip with so much to see! Still writing...I mean get really settled in! {At least I warned you!}
This year has already been great for me in the Christmas window and display viewing area! It is only December 4th and I have seen displays in 3 large cities. I got off to a great start when Claire and I were in Los Angeles and able to attend the tree lighting ceremony and concert at The Grove!
Christmas lights and live music and displays in every store window, that along with snow that falls from the sky at The Grove. They also have snow and entertainment, along with live fashions shows at The Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas! I will definitely be getting there this next week!
Doesn't this display just make you want to go right in?!
Now it's Thanksgiving weekend and along with "Black Friday" comes a FULL day of Window Shopping and {real shopping!} and more Christmas Window displays to see. We were in Union Square in San Fransisco for Macy's Tree Lighting too! I am sharing the picture of a great lit palm tree, which is in front of the huge Christmas tree. Living in Las Vegas we see a lot of lit palm trees but I never get tired of looking at them!
Talk about windows! This is only one section of the building and look at all those wreaths in the windows!
Here is a great tree I found inside of Macy's. It is made of balls of yarn!
And Santa's Mailbox along with the BELIEVE Meter!
And the dining room chair of Mrs. Claus!
A huge four story tree at Neiman Marcus inside their giant window!
Look at this quaint little display I found at Williams Sonoma. Hey who's that picking up a few new Gingerbread Kitchen ornaments for her already too full Gingerbread Kitchen Tree?!!
Christmas Garland and decorations everywhere in this fabulous 4 story shop! I decided I could just move right in!
Then I head down to Fisherman's Wharf to see the displays down there and to eat!
Then earlier this week I'm back in the Los Angeles area and after stop in Santa Monica I run over to The Americana and find Santa's house!
And another great big tall tree!
And a swanky gas lamp all dressed up!
And another unique tree display in "Free People".
Dreamy huh!
This brings us to the best part of Wendys Winter Wonderland! Last night I went to the Bellagio Resort Conservatory and their 2010 tree lighting! They have been filming all week as the TLC Channel is working on a holiday special for 2011! They have some great pictures of how everything was put together on the design teams Facebook page called Western Design LLC. This conservatory has a display that changes with the seasons and a favorite place of mine to visit, since it is close and beautiful and free!
The giant polar bears are made of millions of white carnations!
This bear lazily lays on his back in a field of white flowers near the pond!
There are penguins!
And more penguins!
And giant toy soldiers!
And a giant rocking horse!
And giant candy sticks!
And a team of giant reindeer, made of nuts, pulling Santa's sleigh all the way up to the glass ceiling of the conservatory!
And a little toy train that goes around the tree with a webcam attached to the front!
And display monitors all around the conservatory so you can see the view that the train sees!
Just look at the gigantic shiny gold ornaments!
And the fabulous swagged garlands over the entrances!
Oh and there I am with Mr. Hat who so graciously gets off of the couch to take me here {all of the time}!
Wasn't that FUN?!! This is sure to be a yearly tradition that you will want to share with someone! What is your favorite window shopping and display moment? Will you be going this year to find one? Hey get up off of your couch right now and go find a holiday display to enjoy! Will you be coming on this fieldtrip again with me next year? I sure hope so and be sure to check back tomorrow for a Very Unique Holiday Tradition!
And display monitors all around the conservatory so you can see the view that the train sees!
Wow. Living in such a small town, we don't see many of those fancy things. That's one thing I miss about being in a big city. I don't know what I liked best, the huge swags, or the white trees in the conservatory, or the wreaths on Macy's or the decked out palm trees!!
ReplyDeleteTook your advice and cozied up on the couch with my galaxy TAB.
ReplyDeleteLoved your tour and it brought a more and more christmasfeeling to my heart. Since it's still sinterklaas down here in Holland there are not as many christmaswindowdisplays yet. I went downtown today to do some shopping and to just have a look around. I went to a huge, really huge, bookstore to find a christmasbook. None, zilch, nada, zippo. There were some childrens Xmasbooks allright but none for grown-ups. Just to give you an impression that Xmas in the US is way bigger than here. Well, maybe next week I will be lucky. After Sinterklaas, shops get ready for Xmas.
It did started snowing when we left for town, so that Xmas ingredient I had covered;).
I love these big stores all turned into one big xmasfestival. That gives me such a great feeling. I've seen them in Paris 2 years ago, in Germany and ofcourse closer to home too.
So weird seeing a palmtree with xmaslights. These 2 don't match in my book. And I loved you showing me the Bellagio again, now in Xmas spirit. How I would wanna go and see all that beauty.
Loved your red coat, matched perfectly in the Xmastheme.
Say hello to mr. C for me. He is looking good and relaxed. How about a matching coat for him?
I planned to go to a huge store next week, full of Xmasspirit. Will take pics there to show you some of Dutch style Xmas windowdispays. Girl, you do keep inspiring me!
Keep it up!
@ Cheryl - Thanks! I have friends that come up to St. George to shop. Some time you should come down here to check things out. If you are ever here the Bellagio has displays year round. Yes I told my husband that I wish those white trees were in my front yard!
ReplyDelete@ Monique - Thank you dear Monique! You get to go to fabulous countries for the holidays! Lucky! Hope you all enjoyed Sinterklaas! Christmas is coming to Holland!
Las Vegas looks spectacular at christmas! Love all those wreathes in the windows at Macy's. Great pictures!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jill! I do love it! My little camera gets lucky sometimes and does capture a great shot or two!
ReplyDeleteI think for the first time you were actually able to render me speechless!!! I have seriously never - as in my entire LIFE - seen such breathtaking displays! OH. MY. GOSH. I'm still not sure I have the words - LOL! Thank you so much for taking us on your tour! You are such a dynamo to always be going and doing - you're incredible Wendy! Out of all the amazing things I saw, my most favorite was (DON'T LAUGH!) the tree made out of colorful balls of yarn at Macy's! LOVED. IT. But good grief..... the Bellagio Conservatory BLEW MY FREAKING MIND!!! There are simply no words - it was absolutely ENCHANTING! And could those gigantic polar bears be any more adorable!?!? Wow...............
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