Melbourne Places » Myer’s Christmas windows

Myer’s Christmas Windows 2010 – The Nutcracker

Melbourne — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 20:45:44 +0000

The Myer’s Christmas window tradition in Melbourne is in its 55th year. These window animations are always breathtaking in their skill and imagination. As I viewed them I wonder how they did it? How they kept the standard so high year after year? I am glad they do. The pleasure they to give locals and tourists can’t be measured.

This year Myer’s have gone back to the past for their windows by selecting the Nutcracker. The Nutcracker goes back to 1957 and I believe it was their second window in this amazing series or imaginative ideas.

This is the first time they have repeated a theme. And when I look at the crowds lining up every day this year I can’t help but wonder if any in the crowd saw the first Nutcracker and are here with grand children for the 2010 version.

This time the people behind the scenes, brilliant artists, animators and talented crafts -people, have created a magical fair story – the Nutcracker Suite ( originally a ballet by Tchaikovsky) is a fairy story and like all good fairy stories has magic and a happy ending.

The story is narrated by Father Christmas.

The first window is called The Christmas Tree. This is the Stahlbaum’s Christmas party on Christmas Eve.. Clara’s Godfather gives her a Nutcracker as a present.

Christmas party food at the Stahlbaum’s

The Stahlbaum’s Christmas tree

Clara falls asleep under the Christmas Tree with her Nutcracker and the magic begins – at midnight. Midnight is a good time for magic!

Godfather Drosselmeyer and Clara with the Nutcracker in the background.

The second window is The Battle – where the Mouse King and his army fights the Nutcracker and his toy army.

The Mouse army facing off the Nutcracker’s toy army

Clara kisses the Nutcracker and as in all good fairy tales he turns into a handsome prince and they take a journey.

Clara and her handsome prince in a swan coach being pulled by golden dolphins

They arrive at the Land of sweets – the fourth window. They even have jubes and of course entertainment for the royal pair.

Chinese acrobats entertain by spinning cups of tea on sticks.

Clara and her handsome prince

The imaginative and animated wedding cake

At the Conclusion – the final window. Clara and her prince dance and live happily ever after.

Father Christmas tells the story and there is a brief, written outline describing what is happening in each window. There is so much happening it is very easy to miss something in the crowd. The animations are worth seeing even if fairy tales aren’t your thing. The animations are brilliant.

Plan to go either early in the morning or later in the evening when the stores are shut and the crowds are less.

The morning queue at Meyer’s Christmas windows – the rain doesn’t keep people away.

Where:- Myer’s Christmas windows – Bourke Street, Melbourne CBD

Time:- The windows are in place until 5:00pm Thursday 6th January 2011

The Myer Christmas Window Video

Melbourne — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:59:26 +0000

I was looking up the Olivia helps with Christmas story and came across this video of the Myer Christmas window. If you can’t make it down this year here is the next best thing.

The Myer Christmas window video, staring the book Olivia helps with Christmas

Myer’s Christmas windows – Olivia Helps With Christmas

Melbourne — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:08:59 +0000

Christmas tradition is always good and this year the Melbourne tradition of the Myer Christmas window display is a winner – one of the best I’ve seen – perhaps even the best. It is the story from the book “Olivia Helps Santa” by Ian Falconer.

If you have any young children in your family you’ll know that the heroine of Ian Falconer’s story is a pig, her family and the family dog.

Not having young children in my life I wasn’t familiar with the cute and enthusiastic Olivia but I immediately fell in love with her.

The windows are the book come to life and it is joy to view with or without children to accompany you.
You will come away smiling and feeling that all is good with the world. Olivia is endearing and the story is narrated by Dame Edna Everage which adds some local input to the charm of it all.
I thought Olivia and her family were so lovable that I found myself in the local bookshop browsing through the Olivia books – there’s a series – and wishing I had an excuse to buy a copy. I thought afterward that I didn’t need an excuse I could just buy a copy for my own pleasure. I will do that.
This animated, energetic pig who is full of ideas, raises grins and chuckles and enthusiasm from the crowd and the night I was there a sort of fellowship was created among us as we journeyed through Olivia’s Christmas.

I saw the show in the early evening, after the store closed and the crowd was manageable especially with the ropes controlling the direction viewers need to take.

Useful Information

Myer’s Christmas windows in Bourke Street, Melbourne’’s CBD are there until the 4th of January.

They operate from 7.30am until 1am – I have yet to see them in the dark but I am planning to. The illuminations should be even more striking and beautiful.