For generations, Montreal families lined up on Sainte-Catherine Street to see the animated Christmas windows at the Ogilvy department store. Today, those famous mechanical windows live on at the McCord Stewart Museum.
The windows’ exterior structure is due for restoration starting in 2026. Check the museum’s website to see what will be on display this season.
About the windows
Ogilvy’s mechanical Christmas windows have been part of Montreal’s holidays since 1947. Custom-made by German toy maker Steiff, they show whimsical scenes filled with handcrafted animals that move. Holt Renfrew donated them to the McCord Stewart Museum in 2018 to preserve the tradition.
There are two scenes:
- The Enchanted Village, shown indoors in the Museum Theatre
- The Mill in the Forest, shown outdoors in the museum’s alley on Victoria Street, free of charge
Key facts
- Where: McCord Stewart Museum, 690 Sherbrooke Street West
- Metro: McGill
- Season: in 2025, the windows were on view from November 29 to early January
- Price: the indoor scene is included with museum admission; the museum is always free for visitors 17 and under
Tips
- Play Seek and Find: the museum has offered free activity sheets for kids to spot hidden characters in the windows.
- Combine with downtown: the museum is a short walk from Sainte-Catherine Street and the Eaton Centre. Christmas downtown
