Macy's Great Tree lighting | Photos

Macy's on State Street (111 N State St) kicked off the retail holiday season Saturday with the traditional lighting of its mammoth symbol of holiday merriment: the Great Tree.

Style network stars Giuliana and Bill Rancic and junior guests from the Make-A-Wish Foundation were on hand for the photo op, which was followed by a short performance by the Chicago Mass Choir. The iconic tree stands 45-feet tall and features more than 2,000 ornaments and 15,000 twinkling LED lights. Our shutterbug also snapped the final version of the store's steampunk-inspired—that's Victorian-design-meets-technology—holiday window displays. (We captured a behind-the-scenes tour of the making of the windows a few weeks ago.) Prefer to navigate the season one holiday at a time (Thanksgiving, you shall never be forgotten)? You're in luck: The tree will be on display through January 8, 2012.