It will always be Fortnum’s in one way or another for me, if it isn’t a first it is a close second because they take the magic of Christmas seriously. They have but a small window of opportunity to make passersby stop and gasp and by God do they make they best use of it.
Christmas is serious business. Money is to be made yes, but you do not do so without infusing it with a bit of magic.
Here is a story in three parts; a mouse waiting with its flute, befuddled look on its face wondering WTAH is going on, only for us to see in scene two a cork with a beak full of corks… which is apt and in scene three look closer; a champagne cork flying, making its way to the mouth of the cork in this mad game of catch the cork cork? And so the mouse’s aghast look makes sense; because it is going to be a long night.
They do wonderful stuff with their windows, absolutely incredible stuff with the story of Christmas, they evoke the spirit of Christmas and capture its essence in its fullness. It speaks to the big kid and the little one in us all. This window is a flawless execution of the magic of Christmas starring animals in the woods throwing their very own Christmas.
Scene two, it is not only children but woodland animals who wait for the famous Christmas characters too because here go two mice, who have obviously waited up all night for Santa and the reindeers to return from their jobs for night, with hopes of getting an autograph from Dasher? Or is that the king Deer, Bambi’s mama? It could be anyone of them but they look so longingly on in opes of the autograph. Pure magic because it invites the viewer to run wild with their imaginations.
There’s a crocodile about to eat my friend so let me do my bit and distract it by painting its nails because that would definitely help the situation.
Who upset the Hares? Why would the not wait for the mice to finish with their ribboning? Why can’t Hares just sit still? Is Alice about to come to yet another tea? Why won’t anyone think of the poor mice putting in all this work?
It’s easy to see how they can capture the hearts and minds of children and adults alike, Christmas in the woods with the fantastical animal hosting their mates. Crocodile eating mice or is that a mice eating crocodile? Who knows. Hares scampering about, dancing mice and owls on the snowy rooftops of London… pure bliss, pure magic. Oh! What fun!
And in what might be the most delightfully beautiful scene, we have two squirrels in their own love story kissing under a mistletoe because swung by a mouse whilst the others look on adoringly. Can you even?
Or maybe its the scene where two mice dance to the music provided by a owl orchestra, complete with harp and conductor on a snow filled London rood… I mean these windows have everything and more; there are mice carrying champagne bottles, mice drinking champagne, there’s Rudolph or is it Dasher or is it just a deer with mice waiting on him to sign their little autograph book, there’s mistletoes and roof top dancing and even a kiss between squirrels. The whole bit is just so magical I want to live in the window.