One of the best part of holidays in the city are the decorated windows in some of Manhattan's best known retail stores, including Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy's.

There's nothing quite like a dose of holiday magic that comes from seeing snow-capped pine trees, twinkling lights and seasonal music. There's even a "South Park" character or two to ogle at Barneys, created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone.  Most of the windows in this list are up through early January only.

(To find a complete list of windows, keep reading below.)

Lord & Taylor opened its doors for a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to put together the biggest show of the year at the iconic department store for the millions of visitors from around the world who file past, day and night, during the season.

“It’s New York City at holiday time when it becomes the most fabulous place in the world," says Roe Palermo, divisional vice president of store visuals for Lord & Taylor. 

"And it's our job to give them a treat.” 

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The theme this year at the company's Fifth Avenue flagship store  is "Enchanted Forest."

The store's five windows are decorated with scenes depicting the whimsical side of the season and include 34 hand-sculpted animals, over 9,000 feet of garland, foliage and twinkling lights.

"It's really more like a play or a set," says Palermo.

The eye-catching animated scenes include bunnies ice-skating on a forest pond; a sleeping fox family with dancing raccoons trying to wake them with a feather. Attention to detail in all the windows includes everything from the expertly coiffed long lashed bears to the handmade mice costumes for the dozen mice dressed in one window. 

"We dress each one so they have a personality," says Palermo.

The storybook theme, a mix of traditional scenes and animated digital technology, will keep kids intrigued and the music piped in will keep everyone in the holiday mood. 

"The window exterior is the full experience for our customers," Palermo says. 

Lord & Taylor is the oldest department store in the United States and one of Manhattan's original landmarks. The store unveiled its very first animated holiday windows in 1937.

The Fifth Avenue building is 102 years old and has a unique hydraulic system that allows the window displays to be raised from the basement to street-level on Fifth Avenue. "It raises like a freight elevator; it was used for horse and buggies," says Palermo.

It takes nine months for the design team to create the holiday window displays at a budget they won't disclose. It then took six months to build the sets off-site and three weeks prior to opening to re-assemble the sets in-house.

Eight people on the design team, along with a crew of more than 25 people working on the animated window exteriors round out the holiday window team. 

The store estimates over 1.5 million  people will stop to look at the windows this season, between November and January. The windows will be up until Jan. 5.  

”That’s what the windows are all about,” says Palermo. “You walk by and smile when you see this scene."

The Miracle on 34th Street

At Macy's on 34th Street, creating the perfect holiday windows dates back to the 1870s. The Herald Square holiday tradition includes the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, celebrating it's 90th anniversary this year, and the elaborate windows that have crowds lining up to take a peek.

"The holiday windows are one of the most important traditions," says Roya Sullivan, national director of window presentations.

"It’s our gift to the city. I can’t tell you how many people write me saying they are going to come to bring their kids and grandkids to experience the windows."

This year's theme, carried through six windows at the Herald Square flagship, is "Believing the Magic." 

Santa takes center stage in the first  window in a communication center focusing on how he Santa receives Christmas wishes from children around the world.  Browsers will see two interactive windows: an LED tree made of 1,000 crystal pieces and a mix of traditional and modern touches of Christmas.

Another interactive window, with pinball buttons on the glass, is a measuring game where the temperature of the glass measures how much you love the holidays. Another features elves and depicts the magical feeling before Santa goes to deliver his gifts.

Sullivan estimates 15,000 people per hour walk by the storied windows. 

"It's quite special; only a handful of people in the world do this," she says. "It's part of our DNA."

Finding 'Love' at Henri Bendel

At Henri Bendel, the holiday display features artist James Goldcrown’s "Love Wall," a four-story display of bleeding hearts overlaying Henri Bendel’s legendary façade. "From Bendel With Love" mixes Nouveau and modern street art, with the centerpiece of the holiday display the store's iconic two-story tree topped off with 10 larger than life ornaments – giant versions of the ornaments for sale in the store.

Bendel's creative director Pina Ferlisi was a fan of Goldcrown's work.“Having been a fan of his work for quite some time, we wanted our store to reflect a message of love and togetherness during the holidays, and we thought James’ mural would serve as the perfect reminder to spread the love this season.” 

"Our focus is always about storytelling this season and not merchandise," says Roya  Sullivan of Macy's. "We are super proud that we’ve continued this tradition."

Roe Palermo of Lord & Taylor says, "They can expect to have a really good time, smile feel like a kid again and enjoy with their family."

Holiday Windows Schedule

Lord & Taylor: "Enchanted Forest"

When: Open now through Jan. 5 

Where: 424 Fifth Ave., New York

Info:  212-391-3344, visit5thavenue.com/lord-taylor

Macy's Herald Square: "Believe in Magic"

When: Through Jan. 2 

Where: 151 W. 34th St., New York

Info:  212-695-4400, visitmacysusa.com

Saks Fifth Avenue: "Land of 1000 Delights"

In addition to the store's six animated windows on Fifth Avenue, check out “Candy Couture” dresses in the windows on 49th and 50th Streets. Each lavish dress, created by a notable designer, will be evocative of a favorite holiday treat, including cotton candy, peppermint sticks, and cake frosting.

When: Through Jan. 6 

Where: 611 Fifth Ave. 

Info: www.saksfifthavenue.com

Bloomingdale's 59th Street: "Lights Up a Child's Mind"

Bloomingdale's holiday theme of light is brought to life by the one-of-a-kind chandeliers created by different artists. The chandeliers will be auctioned off on charitybuzz.com and 100 per cent of the proceeds will benefit their charity partner The Child Mind Institute.

When:  Through Jan. 1

Where: 1000 Third Ave. at 59th St.

Info:  212-705-2000, www1.bloomingdales.com

Henri Bendel: "From Bendel With Love"

Love Wall creator James Goldcrown has designed the holiday windows as an intepretation of his signature Bleeding Hearts mural.Don't miss the dazzling Christmas tree!

When: Through January 1

Where: 712 Fifth Ave. at 56th St.

Info: 212- 247-1100, henribendel.com

Barneys New York: "Love Peace Joy Project"

This year's windows are called "Love Peace Joy Project" featuring a range of artists including: visual and performance artist Nick Cave, contemporary artist Rob Pruitt, artist collective Studio Job, mixed media artist Ebony G. Patterson, and Trey Parker and Matt Stone of Comedy Central’s "South Park."

When: Through Jan. 3

Where: 660 Madison Ave.

Info:  212-826-8900, www.barneys.com

Twitter: @krhudsonvalley