A guest takes a picture of the window display as Macy's Herald Square celebrates their Christmas Window Unveiling on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013 in New York.

(Brian Ach/AP Images for Macy's)

NEW YORK -- Forget window shopping, some of Manhattan's biggest and most storied retailers say their elaborate seasonal window displays are a gift to passers-by.

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Reimagining every major holiday covered in a slick coating of ice, recreating cozy Christmas-morning scenes and paying homage to a local legend can be a yearlong labor of love.

"Every store has their own style," says David Hoey, senior director of visual presentation at Bergdorf Goodman. "We try to pick a theme that will lend itself for us to go to town. We all do."

At his corner of 57th Street and Fifth Avenue, arguably one of the most famous shopping intersections in the world, Hoey isn't just celebrating Christmas, he's paying homage to 12 holidays, including Valentine's Day, Independence Day and Halloween. One of his favorite windows is the April Fool's Day display that depicts a lovely outdoor springtime scene - assembled upside down.

Kitty-corner from Bergdorf is Tiffany & Co. and its scenes that aim to capture the New York holiday of your best dreams and memories. "We are telling a story of the lives that go on here and the interactions that happen on Christmas Day and on that morning in New York City," says Richard Moore, vice president of creative visual merchandising.

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He does add a little product to the scenes - it is a store, after all - but the holiday windows aren't as much about pushing sales. "It's about holiday spirit and celebrated tradition. The windows are for all ages, all different cultures. We just want you to stop and look and engage in our windows."

Hoey eagerly visits the windows of the other big stores. It's a treat and a tradition, he says. "Window dressers and the people who do window displays is a very small community. We look at everyone's windows. We are just as excited to see the other windows as everyone else is."

Moore soaks up the season, too. "There's no better time to think about (the) next holiday than this holiday."

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