If people can be dressed in their finest holiday attire to celebrate the season, then so can windows. So, participating Fairfax City businesses will be adorning their storefront windows for the City’s first Holiday Window Decorating Contest.
Sponsored by the Office of Economic Development, the purpose of the competition is to not only bring awareness to the local businesses, but to connect visitors and residents to them. “It’s citywide,” said Danette Nguyen, Office of Economic Development business development associate. “We want to call attention to the entire City of Fairfax and bring a little of Fifth Avenue New York’s holiday spirit to Fairfax City.”
Business owners who would like to be part of the fun should sign up by Nov. 30 at fairfaxcityconnected.com/hwdc. Decorations will be up for all to enjoy from Dec. 2-Jan. 6. Judging will begin on Dec. 3.
The theme is “Classic Holiday Stories,” so participants will transform their ground-level, storefront windows to illustrate seasonal favorites such as “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Elf,” “Polar Express,” “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman.”
“The great thing about this contest is that two awards will be given,” said Nguyen. “There’ll be both a Grand Prize and a People’s Choice award.”
The Grand Prize award will be decided by the mayor, City Council and OED. Windows will be judged on craftsmanship, originality, creativity and effective use of color and material.
To determine the People’s Choice award winner, said Nguyen, “We’ll post photos of the participating businesses’ window decorations on the Economic Development Authority’s Facebook page, Facebook.com/FairfaxCityEDA. Then, from Dec. 3 through Dec. 7, Fairfax City residents and visitors can vote for their favorite, holiday window displays by liking their photos on that page.”
Winners will be announced via the EDA’s Facebook page and blog at fairfaxcityconnected.com/hwdcwinners on Friday, Dec. 14. Award winners will be presented with a trophy to keep in their place of business until next year’s competition.
Displays must be family-friendly and have no blinking lights, since they could distract passing motorists. They must be visible from the sidewalk, but should not block the pedestrian right of way, or the sidewalk itself.
Businesses that have already signed up to participate include:
Chubby Squirrel Brewing Co., 10382 Willard Way; Flooring America, 9979 Main St.; Room Escape Fairfax, 3949 University Drive; Paint Your Own Pottery, 10417 Main St.; YogaWorks Fairfax, 3950 University Drive; Smash’d Creamery, 10427 North St., No. 103; Commonwealth Dry Goods, 10409 Main St., Unit C; and Mara Hair and Mode Studio, 4011 Chain Bridge Road.
“This is my favorite time of year and a new tradition for Fairfax City,” said Nguyen. “It’s a great way to get into the holiday spirit and to see all the businesses in the City decorated for the season.”
For more information about the contest, including which businesses are participating, go to fairfaxcityconnected.com/hwdc.