Dan Cirucci: NYC Christmas Windows

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

NYC Christmas Windows

On the eve of Christmas Eve we decided to take a quick trip to Manhattan to check out the Christmas windows at some of our favorite stores.

As is our custom, we visited Macy's Lord & Taylor, Saks, Barney's and Bloomingdale's. Here's our take on this year's animated Christmas windows:

Macy's - Themed to Macy's appealing "Believe!" campaign, this years windows are whimsical and scattered with magic dust. The windows explain how Christmas ornaments, tinsel, Christmas lights and other elements and characters of the season (including Santa) acquire their special glow. It's like a journey through childlike fantasy factory with all sorts of beguiling contraptions, lots of bright colors and even interactive elements. True, a real live human was in the window tinkering with one of the machines while we were there but so what. Delightful!

Lord & Taylor - Lord & Taylor's windows (pictured) are always more traditional and this year is no exception. These are the most lush and elaborate windows and they are beautifully unified around the theme "My Favorite Christmas Things." Elaborate Victorian rooms, outfits, toys, characters, Christmas trees, Christmas ornaments and other favorites of the season abound in carefully crafted scenes that are highly detailed and enchanting. L & T has the only windows in the city that ascend and descend on pneumatic lifts and while we were there a workman was lowering one of the windows below so that it disappeared below the street surface. That was almost as fascinating to watch as the rest of the show. Elegant throughout!

Saks - The Story of Mike, the Flaky snowflake reminds children of all ages that you should simply "be yourself." The windows celebrate nouveau individuality, diversity, differentness and all those other politically-correct notions. After the other snowflakes watch Mike glide to the ground like a graceful feather they ape his unusual shape, manner and "lighter than air" quality. From that point on, snowflakes stop falling with a big clump sameness and start doing their own thing. Of course, the story takes root in an earlier time (pre-Mike) "when your parents were hippies." Just one problem with that: Hippie parents are now grandparents. Which brings us to . . .

Barney's - Always the most adventurous (and least animated) of the windows, Barney's opts for "Have A Hippie Holiday" and commemorates the 50th anniversary of the peach symbol. The windows are a celebration of the tired old sixties youth movement. Outfits are updated by present-day designers and created from sustainable material. The theme is carried out through the entire store and it's all heavy on peace, love, mindless sloganeering and drug-induced nonsense complete with quotes from Janis Joplin, Timothy Leary, Jack Kerouac, John Lennon and others.

Bloomingdale's - Christmas songs come to life in near-neon colored windows with lots of splash and dazzle - just like the store itself. Blommies has become almost a caricature of itself so the windows are a combination of nostalgia and kitsch. What we have here are old vinyl records combined with lots of shiny new bling. Inside, the store is covered in a shrill, hideous green with black and white as accent colors. Wear your shades.

Here's our ranking on this year's Christmas Windows:

5) Barney's - Heavy, with a tired message and a self-absorbed tribute to an irrelevant and largely useless generation. No mention of Christmas.

4) Bloomingdales - Holiday windows on the cheap with bad colors. Still, some acknowledgement of Christmas.

3) Saks - Yet another year of politically-correct pap with no mention of Christmas. Nice animation.

2) Macy's - A beautiful, unified, clever, meaningful campaign complete with Christmas. Bravo!

1) Lord & Taylor - Christmas, Christmas and more Christmas with elegant excess and lovingly-crafted details. Triumphant!

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About Dan Cirucci

He's been cited by the late Rush Limbaugh, quoted in the New York Times, featured at Real Clear Politics and Lucianne.com and interviewed across all media.

He's Dan Cirucci, the founder and editor-in chief of the Dan Cirucci Blog, a Save Jersey blog columnist, frequent guest on the Matt Rooney radio show and one of the most widely honored public relations professionals in his field. He's also been a public relations consultant to numerous organizations and individuals and hosted The Advocates on RVN-TV.

Inducted into the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame, for many years he served as a Lecturer in Corporate Communication at Penn State University. A former President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA) he has lectured at Rowan University, Temple University, The College of New Jersey and Arcadia University. He has conducted workshops on public relations for thousands of participants throughout the nation and has taught countless others the art of public speaking. He has also advised numerous lawyers, judges, public officials and political candidates.

Cirucci is a prolific writer and his op-ed pieces have appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Courier-Post, Broad and Liberty and other print and online platforms.

A native of Camden NJ, Cirucci is a former President of the Philadelphia chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Cirucci served as Associate Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Association for nearly 30 years. He served as Chair of Penn State University's Professional Advisory Board for the Corporate Communication major at Penn State Abington and on the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Judicial Selection Commission.

He received his MA degree from Rowan University and his BA from Villanova University. He has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of Rowan's public relations program and received the E. A. "Wally" Richter Leadership Award, the highest honor from the National Association of Bar Executives' Communications Section. He has also been honored by numerous other local, state and national groups.

In his hometown of Camden, Cirucci taught fifth grade at the Ulysses Wiggins Elementary School named for the founder of the Camden NAACP. There he was one of the first teachers in the country to teach African-American history to inner city students. He later served as editor of a local weekly newspaper, as Assistant to the Township Manager of Cherry Hill Township and as Associate Director of Communications at the New Jersey State Bar Association.

Cirucci's passions include all things Italian, politics, the popular culture, books and authors, art, communication, music, theatre, movies, dining and travel.

He and his wife Carole have two grown children and seven grandchildren.

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