Holiday window displays are quite the Toronto tradition, dating back at least as far as the early Eaton's and Bay locations, where shoppers would enjoy the elaborate get-ups from street level either as part of trip to buy gifts or just to take it all in. And, despite the rise of internet-based shopping, these festive displays have yet to fade away.

Of the collection below, Scott Snider, the photographer, notes that "as a rule of thumb the higher the price tag the more excessive the display. Holt Renfrew and The Bay both favoured heavy reds with gigantic piles of gifts. The Bay incorporated a Louis XIV theme with lots of bling and female mannequins with impossibly high, Marie Antionette hairdos. Holt Renfrew had a sleigh overflowing with toys and a display of conspicuous electricity consumption highlighted by the guy holding two overloaded power bars."

But like yesterday's post on outlandish Christmas light setups, it's the conspicuousness of these things that make them worth checking out. Sure they may waste a bit of energy -- though certainly not as much as the lights -- but at the end of the day they're just plain old holiday fun.

Here's a look at some of the better ones with a slideshow embedded at the bottom.

Photography by Scott Snider