I do my best to avoid the tourist traps in New York - but I couldn't help myself when it came to the Christmas windows at the city's top department stores.

So about a week ago, I headed uptown early one Sunday morning to check out the windows at Bergdorf Goodman, Barneys and Bloomingdale's.

Bergdorf Goodman's "Carnival of Animals" themed windows were breathtaking - extremely detailed, elegant and original. They were by far my favorites (I will let the photos below speak for themselves.)

I have to admit, as much hype as the Barneys Lady Gaga inspired windows received, I was quite disappointed. The Gaga's boudoir window, with a chair made out of hair, was definitely worth a look. But other than that I found the rest of the windows quite underwhelming.

Both Bloomingdales and Barneys utilized some social media action to bring their windows into the digital age.

At Barneys, an ongoing Twitter feed ran across a screen in one of the windows, where users could share their wishes for the year.

At Bloomingdales, a camera was put in place where people walking by the windows could stop and have their photo taken. Each photo was then posted directly to the Bloomingdales Facebook page.

Whereas in the past we were only given the opportunity to be outside observers, Bloomingdales and Barneys use of Twitter and Facebook allowed the public to become participants in this annual tradition of New York Christmas window decorations.

And on that note, I hope you all enjoy the photos below - Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

I've been to my fair share of Christmas markets - funnily enough, the only ones I'd ever been to before this weekend were all in France.

(excluding any that my parents may have dragged me to in some rural part of Maryland when I was younger - I tend to block those out.)

When I lived in Montpellier there was a popular Christmas market right at Place de la Comédie, and of course Paris has its fair share as well - I went to the Village de Noël at place Saint Sulpice numerous times when I lived in Paris over the holidays, and always found tons of great gifts there.

So when I passed by the holiday market in Union Square this Saturday, I knew I had to face the crowds and take a peak.

As expected, this Christmas market had a lot of the same stuff you would find at the ones in France (or probably anywhere around the world for that matter.) 
Vendors selling jewelery, local food, art, organic and/or homemade beauty products; smells of pine, apple cider and hot chocolate permeating through the air; festively decorated stands decked out in red, white and green; and crowds (and crowds) of shoppers.

As I was wandering about, I suddenly stumbled upon a macaron stand, and naturally got inappropriately excited.

These little delicacies have become quite trendy in New York - I feel like the Americans adopted the French macaron trend in exchange for the recent French interest in "les cupcakes." (Yes, this Anglo-Franco dessert comparison will inventively become a new blog post, get excited people.)

As much as I love macarons, I decided to forgo the $2.50 a piece they were charging, assuming that it would just make me homesick for Paris and crave Pierre Hermé. I mean, are macarons even worth eating if they're not made with some totally random ingredient, like Azuki bean or Églantine ? (had to Google that one, apparently it's a flavor in the rose family)

(Apparently I've become even more judgmental and snobbish than I previously thought...)

Anyways, if you're willing to brave the crowds of (mostly) tourists and New York locals partaking in some holiday cheer, the holiday market at Union Square is definitely worth exploring. Many of the goods are overpriced, but it's worth a trip for the free samples and to get inspired for the holiday season.

For those of you in Paris looking to do some last minute Christmas shopping (whether window or otherwise) look no further than Le Bon Marché, located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris.

This store carries practically everything, from typical department store loot like designer jewelry and handbags, to unique children's toys (granted I don't really understand why any child would want something like this per se  -- but I guess with the right imagination, anything can be entertaining).

Even if you can't be bothered to brave the crowds (or spend the dough) inside the store, just wandering around outside is worth the trip.

Like other "grands magasins" in Paris, Le Bon Marché goes all out for their Christmas window displays, (some of which are mobile, play music and change colors) which are meant to entertain and tempt shoppers making the rounds this holiday season.

If you're looking for other department stores around Paris, Galeries Lafayette, Printemps and BHV (Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville) all sell similar items and dazzling window displays. 

Below I included some general store info about Le Bon Marché, as well as a slideshow of photos I took one evening passing by the shop's beautiful window displays!

General Info:
24 Rue de Sèvres, 
75007 Paris, France
+33 1 44 39 80 00

Hours:
10am to 8pm: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday
10am to 9pm: Thursday and Friday