Remember my friend Kendall, the one that took us behind the scenes during New York Fashion Week? She’s now working at Saks Fifth Avenue, which every fashionista knows is the place to find the latest designers and trends.

In addition to being fashion forward, Saks is also known for its iconic holiday windows. Kendall told me that I could not miss the unveiling event this past Monday, so I eagerly put it into my calendar and began counting down the days.

In the weeks leading up to the unveiling, the windows were a heavily guarded secret, just waiting for their big NYC debut.

Immediately after work on Monday, I headed over to Saks to fight through the crowds to get a great view of the festivities.

When I arrived, Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell was already performing holiday music.

He was soon joined by singer Frankie Moreno and the Young People’s Chorus of New York City. I loved listening to their music, but by far my favorite part of the event was the performance by dancers from the American Ballet Theatre.

I have no idea how they didn’t freeze!

I got so caught up in enjoying the music and the dancing that the time flew by, and before I knew it it was time for the window unveiling! It was coordinated so that the windows were debuted, followed by a light show on Saks’ facade.

Oh and did I mention there was SNOW?!

After it was over, the crowds gathered along the windows to get a better look.

Because of the crowd, I knew trying to get pictures of the windows would be a losing battle, so I headed inside to warm up and enjoy the after party (and Santa!)

The next day, I eagerly headed over to get a better look at the windows. I wasn’t the only one with that idea!

May I present, the story of the Saks’ Yeti:

“In a cold Russian workshop, a long time ago, a furry team of workers were all making snow. One worker named Yeti made beautiful flakes. But his boss only cared for avoiding mistakes.”

“Mama said, ‘Yeti, you’re so very gifted. If they don’t like your art, it’d be best if you drifted.’ So the Yeti set off and quietly vowed, ‘I’ll invent splendid flakes that will make you both proud.'”

“His travels would take him all over the earth. To learn about snow, from the Arctic to Perth. Then finally, New York! The most promised of lands! For a snowmaker artist with magical hands.”

“He set up a lab for perfecting the snow with fridges and freezers set to 14 below. But something was missing. The snowflakes weren’t right. They had to be bathed in the holiday light.”

“Maybe Saks was the answer! It’s brighter than heaven! Yeti raced down to catch a Manhattan-bound 7. He squeezed his way in during rush hour drama with thousands of people (one looked like his mama).”

“He climbed Saks and made snow that was brilliantly pretty. And to this day, the Yeti crafts flakes for the city. The moral? Don’t give up! Be artful! Be ready! And set your sights high – you just might see a Yeti!”

Adorable, right?

And the best part is, you can visit saks.com/snow to design your own snowflake (like the Yeti!) which will appear in the windows. Go on, design your snowflake! I’ll be keeping a lookout for it ;)

And after you’ve gotten your fill of Saks’ holiday windows, you can check out the other window displays. They are both stylish and fashion forward, and you will definitely want to ask Santa for these dresses!

To learn about the fashion trends for the holiday season, and to get in the holiday spirit, all you have to do is stroll down Fifth Avenue.

~A