This mall took MAJOR heat when it decided to change up this year’s Christmas display

What do you think of when you think of the holiday season? Snow, cookies, peppermint mochas, and of course, holiday decorations. Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, it’s hard to avoid the trees and ornaments that seem to pop up everywhere from supermarkets to shopping malls in celebration of the season. But not the SouthPark Mall in Charlotte, North Carolina, who decided to forgo a Christmas tree this year, and instead decorated their Santa photo station with a glacier. While some might applaud the mall for thinking outside the box and taking steps to make their holiday display a little more secular, others were NOT happy.

This new decoration was an attempt to keep their holiday display “fresh and exciting” but according to a petition started by angry shoppers, it was just in “poor taste.” Here’s the full petition:

Those who signed also took to social media, using the hashtag #BringBacktheTree to get their point across.

Today, the petition has 23,662 supporters, enough to make the SouthPark Mall listen. They’re officially bringing back the tree for another year of holiday celebrations. They officially stated:

This is a good time to remind ourselves that there’s no wrong way to celebrate the holiday season and that striking a balance between old traditions and new ways of celebrating is important. We are happy, though, that the SouthPark Mall and its patrons were able to find a way of celebrating that works for them.

(Image via Shutterstock.)