Annual Macy's Holiday Window Displays To Debut On Light-Up Night

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pittsburgh will be all aglow Friday evening as Light-Up Night kicks off the holiday shopping season.

Macy's department store will continue a long-time tradition on the same night when it raises the curtain on this year's window displays.

The former Kaufmann's department store in Downtown Pittsburgh is a blend of holiday traditions.

Long-time Pittsburghers look forward to seeing what's on the other side of the black curtains that obscure the window displays.

"This is one of our Pittsburgh windows and this is actually the Kaufmann's clock," said Macy's visual manager, Lisa Zwirn.

Zwirn took KDKA's Dave Crawley behind the curtain. The holiday window tradition in Pittsburgh goes back generations.

"There are very few cities actually that do this," Zwirn adds. "Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, San Francisco, to name a few. Our store actually has the most windows in the company. I think people come down here just for that."

Plywood walls form the backdrop for familiar downtown vistas.

Approaching another display, she says "This window depicts the rink at PPG Place, with the PPG building in the background. And the animation is a skater on the rink."

She says another window throws a spotlight on a special cause.

"'Yes, Virginia' is always the theme for Make-a-Wish and the 'Believe' campaign," she said. "So, for every letter to Santa, Macy's donates a dollar to the Make-a-Wish Foundation."

The curtains on those little stages will rise Friday night at 7 p.m.

RELATED LINKS:
The Holiday Guide
More Reports from Dave Crawley