It’s probably no surprise that we love making our store festive for the holidays, and that starts with our holiday window display (after all, it’s the very first thing you see)! Here, we take a look behind the scenes with our Director of Visual Merchandising, Rick V., on what it takes to make the holiday window come to life!

How do you decide what’s highlighted in the window?
Our windows typically relate to one of our exclusive Paper Source-designed kits. This year we had a few options that we thought would make a good window and would also tie into our holiday gift assortment.

Initially I started with another concept but kept gravitating back to the Nutcracker Doll Kit. The Nutcracker Dolls have a traditional holiday feeling that evoke a lot of memories and capture the essence of the season. Once we decided on the Nutcracker Dolls, I started sketching and we layered in a variety of wrapped packages focusing on our Gold and Glitter gift wraps (completed with red accents, ribbons and bows) that also highlight our new Gold Foil assortment we introduced in our Holiday Photo Card line this year.  

Knowing we would be featuring Nutcracker Dolls in our windows, and that they are meant to be ballet dancers, I really wanted to find a way to incorporate movement. The twirling of the Sugar Plum Fairy recreates the animation of traditional holiday windows, as well as emphasizes the original ballet. She spins in our windows atop one of the gold glitter boxes in her Plum tutu – all while secretly running on a battery operated spinner hidden beneath a glittery star!

When do you start thinking about the window displays?
We began with the inspiration and design for the holiday windows all the way in early June once our Paper Source holiday kits are finalized!

What goes into planning a window display? How long does it take to get it perfect?
Once the window theme was solidified, I worked to recreate enlarged versions of the Nutcracker Dolls.  In order to get the scale correct, I created three sets of dolls before deciding on the correct size for our feature windows. I then installed the “window” in our Chicago office using the final prototype sizes. This ensures all of the components are provided to stores for them to recreate the window, and that everything looks great.

All of the pieces required to construct the window are packaged into store window “kits” in much the same way our regular kits are prepared! Each one is hand-assembled in our Chicago office by our dedicated team (a truly remarkable feat given the quantity!).

Who assembles the window displays?
We provide a comprehensive step-by-step for each store to reference along with any templates and files to assist store teams. Stores then sketch their window out based on size, and once the sketch has been reviewed, they create everything from the pieces received!

All the elements for this window were cut on our Silhouette Cameo using the 12” x 24” cutting mat. Each store then embellishes their Nutcracker Dolls to create a unique look. We love it when the windows come “alive” and showcase the creative talents of our associates!  

What do we do with the window pieces when they’re uninstalled?
Once the windows are taken down, stores work within their community and donate the removed kits to local charities, organizations and schools as requests are made with the store.

So there you have it! Thanks to Rick for giving us a peek inside the process of designing our Holiday window! What’s your favorite window we’ve done? Tell us in the comments below!

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