Lord & Taylor Unveiled 75th Annual Holiday Windows

NEW YORK, Nov. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Lord & Taylor unveiled its 75^th annual holiday windows on November 13^th, 2012 with performances along Fifth Avenue by Megan Hilty, star of NBC's Smash and the Young People's Chorus of New York City.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/58947-lord-and-taylor-75th-annual-holiday-windows-new-york-city-megan-hilty

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121114/MM09676)

"The annual holiday windows are our gift to New York City and I'm excited to share this special experience with our customers," said Bonnie Brooks, President of Hudson's Bay Company. "This year's windows celebrate special holiday traditions from around the world."

Megan Hilty joined the retailer in unveiling the windows with a performance that included traditional holiday songs. Following the performance, Hilty made an in-store appearance where she met with customers and signed copies of "The Music of Smash" CD. In addition, the Young People's Chorus of New York City, conducted by YPC Artistic Director and Founder, Francisco J. Nunez delighted the crowd with traditional holiday songs of their own. Simultaneously, stores throughout the chain hosted a local student choral group to perform "I Wish", a holiday song composed exclusively for Lord & Taylor.

Every year since 1938, Lord & Taylor's holiday windows have delighted children and adults alike, transporting passersby to various holiday fantasies and reminiscing traditions. This year's holiday windows mark the 75th year of smiles, laughter, joy, and magic; celebrating the precious, worldwide tradition of spending holidays with those you love. Sharing the story of Santa Claus on his day off, traveling around the world to discover global holiday traditions, the windows are inspired by picturesque locations during the holidays and the customs celebrated among friends and family worldwide.

The story begins in a modern day Santa's workshop, where the window features a rotating globe as a backdrop, and Santa planning his trip, surrounded by books full of children's wishes to be fulfilled. Traveling first to the Alps, this window includes snow-covered mountains, twinkling lights and a town marketplace selling traditional holiday figures such as miniature nutcrackers and animated gingerbread men. The next stop on Santa's journey is New York City, featuring a snow-covered Central Park and all things classic to the holidays in the city. Stopping over in Europe, where Santa travels through a traditional clock tower, the next window features an intimate celebration with friends and family in a furnished loft with a rotating clock. The final stop brings Santa to Asia, and this window is illustrated by vibrant red lanterns and a scenic snow-covered bridge, highlighting the tradition in which the lanterns are releases for good fortune and luck.

Interesting Facts About the Holiday Windows

• Lord & Taylor was the first retailer to present animated holiday windows and 2012 is the store's 75^th holiday window display.
• During the holidays, over 250,000 people pass by the Lord & Taylor windows daily and between Thanksgiving and Christmas, over 8 million customers will visit the store.
• The windows are created by a team of over 50 people over the course of nine months.
• The window sets weigh up to 2,000 pounds and are the only department store windows on hydraulics.
• The windows are created in a workshop underneath the Fifth Avenue sidewalk and are then moved onto street level.

About Lord & Taylor

Lord & Taylor is an upscale specialty department store that has built a reputation for attentive customer service and high-quality merchandise focused on apparel and accessories. Founded in 1826, Lord & Taylor is America's oldest department store and one of America's premier retailers. Today, Lord & Taylor operates 48 full-line stores in nine states and the District of Columbia, three Lord & Taylor outlet stores, two Lord & Taylor Home stores and lordandtaylor.com, the company's online store.

About the Young People's Chorus of New York City

For more than two decades, the Young People's Chorus of New York City, founded by its Artistic Director and 2011 MacArthur Fellow Francisco J. Nunez, has provided children of diverse abilities and backgrounds with a unique program of music education and choral performance, while maintaining a model of artistic excellence and harmony that enriches the community.  YPC recently received the 2011 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award from the First Lady Michelle Obama, Honorary Chair of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities at the White House.  More information is available at www.ypc.org

SOURCE Lord & Taylor