1960 Exposition Jouets vitrines au Bon Marché © Archives Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche
**This article is a direct feature from the November/December 2025 My French Country Home magazine written by Nicola Clark. To see more articles like this, be sure to subscribe to the magazine**
With their glowing lights, whimsical characters and ever-changing themes, the seasonal shop windows of Paris are more than festive décor – they are an established cultural ritual.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE MAGAZINE
Each winter, the windows of the grands magasins (department stores) transform into glittering showcases of wonder, drawing throngs of visitors from around the world to marvel at their elaborate holiday scenes. This cherished tradition dates back to the late 19th century Belle Époque, when retailers in the City of Light first grasped the power of theatrical presentation to enchant passersby and lure them through their doors.
Imagining a Creative Display
While Macy’s in New York is often credited with introducing Christmas displays in the 1870s, the French swiftly elevated the idea into something far more ambitious. Parisian stores embraced the concept not just as a sales tool, but as a form of creative expression – a fusion of fantasy, craftsmanship and commerce. Engineers, artisans and puppeteers brought visions to life with electricity, pulleys and intricate mechanisms.
In 1893, Le Bon Marché captured the public imagination with a display of miniature ice skaters gliding across a frozen pond in the Bois de Boulogne. Some years later, it commissioned the dollmaker Gaston Decamps to recreate Robert Peary’s 1909 North Pole expedition, complete with floating icebergs and a glowing aurora borealis.
Long before cinema and TV, the displays gave Parisians their first taste of visual marketing crafted simply to delight. Music, live or piped in, added to the atmosphere. Hurried shoppers were invited to slow down and simply revel in the magic of the season.
The Windows as a Main Holiday Attraction
By the 1920s, the windows had become an art form. Even during World War II, families flocked to see them for a brief escape. Soon the concept spread, with department stores worldwide transforming their storefronts into must-see holiday attractions.
In more recent years, the Paris windows have evolved to incorporate fashion collaborations and even QR codes and apps. Yet the essence endures: As dusk falls over the Boulevard Haussmann, the viewing platforms outside Galeries Lafayette and Printemps are packed with children, parents and tourists, bundled in their hats and coats, craning for a better view. Phones are raised, laughter spills out into the cold air and for a moment, the city pauses.
Paris Christmas Windows in 2025
Every year it seems as though the creations for the Paris Christmas Windows and interior displays get more and more grand – and this year is no exception.
At Galeries Lafayette, the historic building’s grand central dome is an unbeatable space for a grand Christmas tree. This year Jeanne Detallante, a talented illustrator who has worked with a number of couture brands, was entrusted with the design of both the windows and the central display. The artist took inspiration from the department store’s archives to imagine a Christmas story that pays tribute to the Galerie’s creative heritage.
This winter, Le Bon Marché takes on a charming approach to the windows by transforming each of them into miniature chalets with snow bunnies leading the charge. Inside, hundreds of sweet stuffed rabbits appear to be working in small factories to churn out chocolate, carrots, and hats for bunny ears!
Earlier this year, Printemps opened its very first American store in New York at the iconic address, One Wall Street. To mark this event, the Christmas windows in the City of Light have been transported to the City that Never Sleeps! Inspired by the energy of NYC, a mischievous team of dogs leads visitors on a journey across the windows into the Big Apple.