The glowing view down 5th Avenue.

We know the holiday season has officially arrived once the famous Swarovski Snowflake takes its place over 5th Avenue.

We couldn't get enough of the fantastical Cirque du Soleil-themed windows at Bloomingdale's

It's a visual feast filled with 3-D animated scenes, acrobats and hand-painted murals.

Bergorf’s windows were inspired by the Jazz Age.

How cool are those Art Deco details and beautiful plumes?

Barney's went for a neon electric look...

with an imaginative mixing of Disney characters and fashion stars. Can you imagine a meeting between fashion writer Suzy Menkes and Minnie Mouse?

We absolutely adored the twinkling snake wrapped around Bvlgari!

Henri Bendel partnered with the Brooklyn Museum to design displays that evoke 1920s fashion.

The main window was mocked up to look like the department store's interior from 90 years ago, complete with mannequins wearing outfits inspired by actual Bendel designs from that era.

And Harry Winston was all a-glitter!

Have you seen the Holiday windows? Let us know your favorites on Facebook... we would love to hear from you!

(Image via National Geographic.)

See: The balloons on the night before the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade

A tradition since 1927, the giant character balloons are slowly inflated and brought to life on the streets around the American Museum of Natural History. We love walking along Central Park West to catch a glimpse of some of the classic parade characters.

(Images via MTV.)

And of course we adore the watching Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

(Image via Cottage in the Oaks.)

Shop: Zabar's

It's a New York tradition to order a turkey and all the trimmings from the legendary Zabar's. Plus we can't leave this New York food institution without a basket full of amazing cheese from their well-stocked counter!

(Images via New York Times.)

Imbibe: Cocktails at the Wadorf Astoria

Sipping a hot toddy in the lobby of this grand hotel and watching the uptown crowd flow in and out of the beautiful Art Deco building is a lovely pre-Thanksgiving dinner treat. And the holiday decorations are an amazing sight!

(Images via Slash Food and Blog.)

Go: George Balanchine's Nutcracker

(Image via Jaunted.)

This classic ballet begins the day after Thanksgiving and it's a true a magical feast.

Eat: Edi and the Wolf

(Image via Huffington Post.)

For a non-traditional meal, we love to check out the culinary scene at this Austrian hotspot. This year's Thanksgiving specialty... roasted duck with pretzel brioche sounds delicious.

The Plaza

For a taste of old New York on Thanksgiving night, nothing beats dinner at The Plaza complete with all the classic trimmings. We even found this vintage Turkey Day menu from 1899!

(Images via Lucky Penny and Ephemeral New York.)

We would love to hear about your Thanksgiving traditions over on Facebook!

And watch the clip below to find out which antique item Christiane could not live without...