Earlier this week I realized that Christmas snuck up on me again. My gift list is only halfway complete, the tree isn’t up yet, and I’m still figuring out my menu for Christmas dinner. Thank goodness for the twinkle lights keeping us from becoming our buildings official Scrooges! In need of a strong dose of holiday motivation, I headed to the 5th Ave mall to soak in some over-the-top festive spirit and it didn’t disappoint: Christmas music, cheerful window displays, and gorgeous decorations all inspired me to dive in to my own holiday preparations.
Although I generally enjoy visiting the 5th Ave mall (as a highly visual person there are always fun things to look at plus I like to check out national retail marketing trends) my favorite way to experience it is with a group of local bloggers led by Kari Skinner (the person responsible for all things fun and exciting at the mall) because it’s a fascinating peek behind the scenes and I’m always impressed by how much hard work and creativity goes into prepping for the holiday season. Lucky for me, I did just that a couple weeks ago; here’s what’s happening:
- Nordstrom is going with two different looks – “lodge” and “glam” – for Christmas (kind of like wearing sequins and Sorrels simultaneously – Alaska girl style!) and the toy department is full of classic characters (Star Wars!) and old school games (Sorry! Twister!). They’ve also stocked some locally made products – I loved seeing Denali Dreams soap and Alaska Paracord Designs survival bracelets in the home/small gift section.
- Punny wearables and Santa related sayings at Victoria’s Secret: “I Sleigh” and “He sees you when UR tweeting” (does anyone else thing that’s kinda creepy?).
- Sparkle, always sparkle, at Pandora.
- Jewel tones, eye catching graphics, and metallic accents at Michael Kors.
- Holiday themed gift boxes at LUSH: “Reindeer Games” includes bath products in a box that can be used for a ring toss.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t advise you to stop at Crush pre- or post shopping. We visited before our tour and sampled a few appetizers paired with a crisp sparkling wine from Argentina; the combo was so, SO good. My favorite was the crab bruschetta – refreshing and savory with a hint of sweetness.
Don’t miss out on all the holiday fun at the 5th Ave mall – you still have plenty of time before Christmas (right?!).
This is Rad.
Thanks Phil!