Morristown's Walking Tour of Windows Returns

. Dozens of businesses gussied up their storefronts for the holiday contest, to the pleasure of onlookers.

Due to the event's success, it's back for a second year. So, head out of doors and into Morristown to see what businesses are getting into the holiday spirit.

The press release is below:

Nearly 30 downtown Morristown retailers have signed up to participate in the second annual “Walking Tour of Windows” window decorating contest.

The event is a joint effort of the , the Morris County Alliance for Tourism, the , and the , and is designed to bring more awareness and excitement about the many holiday events happening in the downtown Morristown area from Thanksgiving weekend through New Year’s Day.

"Morristown is a perfect all-day destination at any time of year,” said Morristown Councilwoman Rebecca Feldman. “Now, from Santa's Arrival and 11 Nutcracker Ballet performances, all the way through , dozens of decorated shop windows will make a memorable family experience which has now become an annual tradition."

Holly Days began on Friday, Nov. 25 with . Many family-oriented activities will continue to be held weekdays and weekends as part of the Morristown Partnership’s Christmas Festival at the Morristown Green. “The ‘Walking Tour of Windows Contest’ is a program that provides another reason for tourists to make Morristown a holiday destination”, according to Leslie Bensley, Executive Director of the Morris County Tourism Bureau. Additionally, many area historic sites and house museums will be decorated for the holidays and have special holiday programming throughout the Holly Days period. Go to www.morristourism.org for a full calendar of events.

Last year’s Walking Tour of Windows’ winner, Marty Epstein of , is not resting on his laurels, and plans to participate again. As of today, his window décor plan is a closely-held secret, but he is planning to top last year’s effort which featured winter sports, flying “snowflakes” and was entirely made of recycled products.

This year the public will select the winning holiday window, with the winner announced at a performance of “The Nutcracker” sometime after Dec. 20. The public can vote for their favorite holiday window until Dec. 19 by visiting a participating site, snapping a picture of the QR code in the retailer’s window, and accessing the event’s Facebook page. The QR code will also appear in the 2012 Holly Days brochure which will be distributed by the Mayo Center for the Performing Arts, downtown retailers, and can be downloaded from the Morris County Tourism Bureau website: www.morristourism.org.

The public can vote by visiting the event’s Facebook page from any computer: www.facebook.com/MorristownHollyDays. Any entrant who provides an email address will be eligible to win a $100 Morristown Partnership gift certificate and other donated prizes.

Check the Facebook page for an updated list of participating retailers and street addresses.

Retailers as of Nov. 28: