We here at LocalBozo pride ourselves on bringing you the very best of New York City with daily updates, and original content. And since it’s the Holiday Season we feel the need to give back to all our loyal readers by providing you, “The LocalBozo.com Five Days Of Christmas.” All this week we will inform you about great holiday happenings all over town. So, stay tuned and be merry!

Lord & Taylor
424 5th Ave
(between 38th St & 39th St)
New York, NY
(212) 391-3344
www.lordandtaylor.com
Getting There: B, D, F, M To 42nd Street – Bryant Park

If you want to experience New York City’s true spirit during the holiday season, look no further than iconic Fifth Avenue. This long stretch of roadway features upscale commerce, historic buildings, and a terrific view of Central Park. All of these factors brilliantly marry together to light the street this time of year. But if you truly want to experience the holiday season in New York the right way, you must start at Lord & Taylor for their legendary holiday window display.

City dwellers and tourists alike will marvel at these highly ornate and original designs, created from drawings contributed by children fron New York City schools and shelters. For the 2011 windows, Lord & Taylor again chose the recurring theme- “What is Christmas made of?”  The store chose their favorite designs used to inspire the professional creations and feature some of the children’s renderings in many of the displays. Many of the creations reflect traditional holiday traditions like preparing Christmas dinner, sitting on Santa’s lap in the North Pole, trimming a home’s Christmas tree, and plenty of happy children ice skating, skiing, and sledding.

It’s timeless traditions like this that make walking around the City such a fun and festive time every winter. Seeing the intricacies of each year’s different display both shed some light on the plight of the underprivileged but also make you stop and be appreciative of the things that you have. Remembering the days when you were that little one in the kitchen, trying to help when dinner was being made; being scared out of your mind when sledding down that steep and snowy hill; taking in all of the sights and the smells in setting up a freshly purchased Christmas tree. These are the things that the holidays are about- the memories and the nostalgia, and surrounding yourself with those that are most special to you. And somehow, year after year, a department store always seems to be the one that reminds us most what Christmas is made of.

- Jay Rubin and Jane Van Arsdale