Where Fashion Meets Festivity: The Christmas Displays of Fifth Avenue

Every December, New York’s Fifth Avenue transforms into an incredibly stylish holiday spectacle. The windows light up, the sidewalks fill, and New York settles into one of its most familiar and beloved traditions: holiday window shopping. It’s simple, it’s charming, and it’s been a part of the city’s culture for over a century.

Dior sets a festive tone for holiday luxury on Fifth Avenue.

The tradition dates back to as early as 1870, with the Macy’s display in Herald Square. Macy’s display of porcelain dolls was only the beginning of the New York holiday staple. Department stores realized that their windows could serve as meaningful experiences to shoppers, much more than typical displays. Before online shopping and social media, these windows were how stores could tell stories. Families and tourists from all over would bundle up, walk the avenue, and stop in front of each store. Over time, 5th Avenue became the epicenter of it all.

Today, Saks 5th Avenue still sets the tone. Its holiday windows are bold, polished, and unmistakingly festive. The building itself feels part of the celebration, glowing at night and pulling crowds in from blocks away. There’s a sense of scale here that feels intentional, like fashion meant to be admired from across the street, to pull you in for a closer look. It's festive, striking, and provides a great balance between spectacle and sophistication.

Saks Fifth Avenue dressed up for Christmas with light-up diamond decorations.

Across the street, Bergdorf Goodman takes a different approach. The windows are intricate and thoughtful, layered with detail that rewards a closer look. They feel more like art installations than storefronts.

Walking north, Tiffany & Co. leans into its signature sparkle, while other fashion houses dress their windows in lights, ornaments, and winter scenes that reflect their brand identity. Together, they turn the avenue into a continuous stretch of holiday storytelling.

Louis Vuitton’s giant stacked trunk display on Fifth Avenue.

And of course, the walk leads toward Rockefeller Center, where the Christmas tree feels like the grand finale. By the time you get there, the windows, the lights, and the crowd all blend into one very “Christmas in New York” moment. 

What makes Fifth Avenue’s Christmas displays so special isn't just how they look, it’s what they represent. They’re a reminder of tradition and of a time when shopping meant wandering, when fashion was experienced in person, and when the holidays were something you walked through, not scrolled past.

In a city that’s always changing, this is one tradition that still feels exactly right.

XOXO, The Fashion Stock Market

Editor: Felicity Field