Lord & Taylor's Holiday Windows Include a Tiny Cross-Dressing Dog

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For their holiday windows this year, Lord & Taylor asked thousands of shoppers to send in their favorite Christmas memories via email, Facebook, and old-fashioned ink-and-pulp letters. Then they picked 12 to illustrate in their New York displays. The windows won't be unveiled until next Monday, but last night we got an early look at one vignette, about a woman who used to buy holiday dresses for her daughters and the (male) dog. It's set in the '80s, hence the Polaroid camera.

Details for serious window geeks: Lord & Taylor happens to be the first store ever to do holiday-only window displays. They don't include merchandise in them because they want to keep the focus on the spirit of Christmas. Unlike every other store in Manhattan, they put their displays on hydraulic platforms that rise from the bottom up so that the stage can move up and down. In the old days, the store used to sell all the components of their windows after the holidays, but now they keep a few around for nostalgic reasons.

On Monday at 5:30, Lord & Taylors across the country will reveal their windows with simultaneous performances of "Share the Joy," a holiday song written especially for the unveiling ceremony. Kristin Chenoweth will also perform at NYC's big reveal, and the people who submitted stories for the New York windows will be on hand to watch—as will anyone with an internet connection, since the chain plans to live-stream the event online. One more thing: Donate $5 to the American Red Coss on Monday, and you'll get a 20% off single-item coupon plus a store-wide discount of 15%.
· Lord & Taylor Share Events [Official Site]
· Sneak Peek: Lord & Taylor Holiday Windows [Sugar Rock Catwalk]