Customers enjoy the standing heaters coming soon at Shake Shack

Just call (212) 889-6600 to place an order. The Shack will accept phone orders from now through Saturday, March 1, 2008. There is a $25 minimum for call-in orders, and a credit card number is required. Phone lines open at 9:30 a.m., but orders won’t be ready to pick up until the Shack is open at 11:30 p.m. Sorry, no delivery. Phone orders head straight to the Pick-Up Window to grab your grub and go.

The Shack will close from December 22 to January 2.

Kim Wickers, Director of Horticulture

KW: I was inspired by several things: nature, the park and a necklace that I own that is a leaf dipped in gold. Taking something that is so banal, like a leaf and dipping it in gold transforms it to something opulent. So I wanted to take that idea of transformation and apply it to the park decoration this Holiday season.

Q: Kim, let’s talk more specifically about areas of the park. What’s happening at the fountain this year?

KW: I find that the fountain is really where I can bring the theme of the season across. Each urn has a Pieris "Browers Beauty" shrub adorned with golden birch branches, gold sparkly pine cones and golden glitter swirls. Each bowl of the fountain is arranged with all sorts of gold and glittery delights. They are dripping with gold beaded garland, leaves dipped in gold, metallic berries that will sparkle and glimmer with gilded pageantry.

Kim decorating the fountain

Q: What about the tree?

KW: This is where additional inspiration led. I thought about how to transform gilded nature to the large tree. Illuminated manuscripts came to mind.

Q: What are illuminated manuscripts?

KW: It is a text embellished with gold or silver decoration most commonly created during the Middle Ages. But I was thinking more specifically about the tones, the richness of color and how everyday life was depicted in the images.

Q: Last year you had beautiful frosty spheres that went along with Frosty Modern. How does Gilded Nature come to life on the tree?

KW: This year the lights will be a little different. I chose 150 Monrovian stars in rich tones of gold, purple and blue accented by 6 smaller trees adorned with gold twinkle lights and bows.

Holiday wreath

KW: In keeping with the theme, I used real pine garland flanked with gold lights surrounding the entire park. Each entrance has a pine wreath accented with a golden bow. The entrance of the park at 5^th Avenue and 23^rd Street welcomes you with an eight foot wreath decorated with shimmering Poinsettias, golden leaves and a gold bow. The trees near the Shake Shack will be enhanced by gold Monrovian stars.

Q: Wow! When do you begin thinking about the holiday decorations and theme?

KW: Its scary – I start thinking about next year as soon as the tree is lit at the tree lighting ceremony.

Q: Let’s talk about numbers. How big is the tree? 

KW: 26 feet.  We used 2500 feet of garland, 261 bows, and 100 strands of lights equalling 3000 lights in the park this year.

Q: This sounds really fun! You must love this part of your job.

KW: I do. It comes at a time of year when it’s just about enhancing the park and making it more beautiful. It’s great coming up with a vision that you get to share with the public.  I want the public to enter a space rather than one area designated to holiday decor.