A quick glance at Sin is Pretty's display window on South Coast Highway in Laguna Beach reveals a mannequin in a blue vintage dress.
On closer inspection, a passerby will notice that the mannequin is crying tears of faux blood — actually red paint — and that the color is continued on her outstretched palms.
Shop owner Denise Levesque said the mannequin is part of the vintage store's Christmastime display.
Bloody tears and Christmas?
The Laguna Beach native said the mannequin represents the feminine side of the holiday. It's an interpretation of Our Lady of Guadalupe, an artistic image of the Virgin Mary in Mexico City.
"We got to celebrate Mary," she said. "She's the mother of Jesus, and that's what Christmas is about, kind of."
The blood shows Mary's sorrow for her son, and the tears symbolize her rejoicing, Levesque said.
The bloody palms represent stigmata, marks on the body that replicate the wounds Jesus suffered at the crucifixion.