LONDON Nov. 19 (People's Daily Online) ​—— Inspired by the store’s "Once Upon a Christmas" theme, the Harrods Christmas windows on the Brompton Road will set the scene for a world of moving​ ​puppets and performers. Each window​ ​will feature a stage complete with performers, lights, scenery and red velvet curtains. Meanwhile,​ ​"hidden" beneath the floorboards is a magical world of Christmas mice, with Peter Pumpernickel​ ​returning to lead the entertainment as they play and prepare for their Christmas celebrations.

​Alexander Wells-Greco, head of visual merchandising at Harrods, said: ​"This year, our customers are invited to become the audience and enjoy the festive season’s​ ​ultimate show. We want to continue to engage with families – children in particular. To achieve​ ​this, we raised the windows by 60cm to create the underfloor theatre scenes of Christmas mice​ ​preparing for the festivities, installed directly at a child’s eye level."

​An oversized gingerbread house created by Rosalind Miller takes over one of Harrods’​ ​windows, delivering a Hansel and Gretel twist. The house stands nearly two metres​ ​tall and three metres wide. Constructed of more than 42 gingerbread tiles (weighing a total of 40 kg) and with around 200 sugar roof tiles, it took 33 hours to bake and​ ​involved 20 hours of hand-piping.

To coincide with the launch of the Harrods windows, the Festival of Christmas​ ​begins on Friday 6th November with the arrival of Father Christmas and the opening​ ​of The Harrods Christmas Grotto. Meanwhile, in Hans Crescent, festive characterswill be dropping by over the weekend and there will be a variety of entertainment​ ​on offer for children. Families can meet Father Christmas’ reindeer, visit Snowball​ ​Alley, and have fun with the Wheel of Fortune and a festive photo booth.​ ​In-store, each department will be running a number of activities, including face painting​ ​with Disney in Childrenswear on the Fourth Floor; sock monogramming at Pantherella in​ ​Menswear on the Lower Ground Floor; and calligraphic personalisation and monogramming across Crème de la Mer products in the Beauty Halls on the Ground Floor.​