Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
Because nothing exemplifies the spirit of Christmas like some brutal competition, it's time to vote on the best holiday windows of 2011. As always, the contest is limited to Manhattan's big-name department stores, the ones with the craziest ideas and the least limited budgets: Barneys, Bergdorf, Bloomingdale's, Henri Bendel, Macy's, Saks, and Lord & Taylor. Which store best captured all that is magical and joyous about New York City in late December? And which stores need to step it up next year? It's your call. But first, take a moment to reacquaint yourself with the contestants.
· Bergdorf sent a zoo's worth of animals on a textural adventure
· Bloomingdale's paid tribute to the humble paper bag
· Saks took us on a journey to the land of the bubble people
· Bendel dressed the Statue of Liberty in jelly beans
· Lord & Tayor tapped local kids as window designers
· Macy's fabricated a wish-granting factory
· And Barneys, of course, celebrated a little-known pop-star