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Customers have been left outraged after a Christmas display at a popular shopping centre omitted the word “Christmas” from the decorations.
Santa’s village at Pacific Werribee, which is 29 kilometres southwest of Melbourne, featured a huge sign above Santa’s chair that said “Merry Everything”.
It wasn’t long before the shopping centre took the brunt of negative feedback from those who had seen it.
Customers were not shy in expressing their disappointment, with the shopping centre bowing to pressure in just two days after several said they would not have their Santa photos taken at Pacific Werribee anymore.
“Very disappointing display. Multiculturism gone mad. I am so glad I have left Wyndham. Ballarat loves Xmas and embraces all cultures. Best move we ever made,” one shopper said.
Another added: “‘Merry Everything’ is ridiculous. It’s Christmas! We don’t change names of other festivals so why come up with a silly slogan! It’s really offensive to those that celebrate it.”
Another asked why the celebrations of other cultures weren’t made to be more inclusive saying, “Where is OUR inclusiveness???? Because it ain’t there. If we can’t even have a proper Christmas display then neither should the Diwali celebration.”
“I will not take my children for their Santa photos at your centre as I have done for many years,” another said.
“It is ‘Merry Christmas’ not Merry Everything! How insulting! I believe inclusion for all is extremely important for our society.
“I am very happy to promote and celebrate all festivals and would never want anyone to feel they need to change the name of their festivals and celebrations. I just cannot understand why you would think it’s OK to change the name of a festival!”
The “Merry Everything” campaign was part of a wider movement from Queensland Investment Corporation, who owns Pacific Werribee.
The campaign started on November 2 and will run until Christmas Eve, according to Shopping Centre News.
“Pacific Werribee’s ‘Merry Everything’ Christmas campaign is intended to showcase our incredible range of gift giving and festive offerings available at the Centre, so customers can shop ‘everything’ this holiday season all in the one place,” Ryan Ling, the Werribee general manager, told news.com.au.
“In line with the campaign, we are committed to delivering a convenient shopping experience, with a focus on providing a one-stop-shop for customers’ festive needs.
“We acknowledge some customers have raised questions in relation to the campaign and we have listened to their feedback.
“Our overriding objective is to create a vibrant and enjoyable shopping environment that meets the needs of our community, particularly in the lead-up to Christmas, which is why we made the decision to change our signage from ‘Merry Everything’ to ‘Merry Christmas’,” Mr Ling added.
“We share our customers’ sentiment that Christmas represents the season of giving, and spending time with family and friends. We look forward to helping customers create memorable moments by providing the perfect gifts, ideas, competitions and events to make this Christmas special.”
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