One of my favourite things to do this season is to peek into all the shop windows to check out their holiday displays. First of all, it's free. Second of all, the displays offer a wealth of ideas for one's own decorating. Inside many of the stores, too, there are lavish and creative displays to herald the festivities. The talented people who create them, who dream them all up, are to be commended for their imaginations. Most of the photos below were sent to me by my friend Christine in Toronto where the downtown settings are already festooned with Christmas trimmings.

Holt Renfrew is Canada's version Bloomingdale's - a boutique department store nearly a century old where the creations of all the major designers can be found. The holiday windows of the Toronto Holts store this year are shimmering with gold and red.

Maidens with long, flaxen braids and designer gowns emerge from flower-like packages to reach the stars.

Symmetry and monochrome are the design forces behind this all-crimson Christmas display at The Hudson's Bay Company. At 400 years old, The Bay is one of North America's oldest department stores.

Gold and green in another Bay display.

Anthropologie is coming to Toronto soon and these holiday displays from New York City are perfect examples of the opulent tableaus found in their window displays. Above it's all baking and icing. Below, a cable-knit snowman is surrounded by multitudes of cut-out snowflakes.