The holiday season seems to begin earlier and earlier each year, doesn’t it? Though the opening of Christkindlmarket and the city’s tree lighting ceremony aren’t until November 17, Macy’s is getting the ball rolling on the holiday magic this weekend. The department store will unveil its annual Christmas windows on Saturday, November 4 at 10am. They’ll remain on view throughout the holiday season, until January 7. The windows’ theme for 2017 is "Reasons to Believe," marking 10 years of Macy’s Believe campaign.
The windows aren’t the only holiday tradition opening for the season at Macy’s on Saturday. At noon on November 4, The Voice winner Jordan Smith will help light the department store's towering Great Tree, alongside a Make-A-Wish guest. Macy’s SantaLand will also open on Saturday, where folks of all ages can visit Santa Claus on weekends now through Thanksgiving, then daily from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the beloved window displays on State Street. Of course, the tradition began when the department store still bore the name Marshall Field’s—it was renamed Macy’s on State Street when the New York-based megastore bought it in 2005. It’s also the 110th anniversary of the Great Tree in the Walnut Room, Macy’s nostalgic in-store restaurant. To celebrate 50 years of the window displays and 110 years of the Great Tree, Macy’s is decorating with ornaments and animated figures that date back to the 1960s. What better way to celebrate a classic Christmas in Chicago?