NYC's Shopping Windows in Holiday Season December 22 2014

New York is a big, beautifully wrapped package stamped with the words Please Open Before Christmas. Window shopping is an incredible experience in December, when Manhattan's department stores reveal their holiday window displays. 

Festive store windows have been a New York City holiday tradition since the 1870s. Macy's started featuring dolls in Christmas scenes. Ever since then, the scenes have transformed into elaborate, animated and interactive displays at all the major department stores along Fifth Avenue. A combination of art, design, sound engineering, animation, fashion, marketing and whimsy have helped make the displays an integral part of the holiday season.

The planning starts a year in advance when the designer start creating the look, the manufacturing of the pieces follows and by the end of November most of the decoration is installed. 

Google Maps adds more perk to the Christmas shopping spree by giving Web shoppers a holiday tour, sans the freezing weather. Google updates the Business View feature of Google Maps so shoppers can have a detailed imagery of some store fronts which are clad with Christmas decor.

The holiday window panoramics is a way for locals and people all over the world to see the decorations without having to go through the shopping madness in Midtown or even travel to New York. 

To explore the holiday window views, simply locate the store on Google Maps and then click "see inside."

USA TODAY filmed the biggest stores and their store window decoration, in case you are unable to make it to Manhattan you can take a look here