Bloomingdale's Pays Tribute to the Humble Shopping Bag

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Now that all of the major department stores have revealed their holiday windows, it's time to examine them in more detail. For the next couple weeks, we'll be running galleries of key holiday displays across the city. Then, we'll hold a vote to determine the greatest Christmas windows of 2011.

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• “Penguin With Coveted Holiday Gift.,” as this one's known, is inspired by a bag from 1992.
• “Christmas at the Dawn of a New Era,” which stars an astronaut Santa, was inspired by a 1982 bag.
• This display was based on 1978 bag depicting Santa and friends ice skating on the East River.
• Based on a 1983 bag, this window shows a French skater ransacking the Bloomingdake's shoe salon, looking for jeweled ice skates.
• In “Fairytale World of the Holidays,” based on a 1981 bag, Santa's sleigh pulls a gingerbread castle for Mrs. Claus.
• A close-up look at Mrs. Claus's gingerbread house

Last year, Bloomingdale's installed all-digital holiday windows, disappointing onlookers who thought LCD displays didn't quite convey the requisite holiday warmth. This time around, they've returned to nostalgic form with five display cases dedicated to Bloomie's shopping bags through the years. Each bag opens or turns to reveal an animatronic holiday diorama.
· Bloomingdale's Holiday Display: "A New Low for All Windows" [Racked NY]
· Bergdorf's Holiday Windows Star All Creatures Great and Small [Racked NY]