Simon Malls received a quite chilly response when they unveiled new sets for Santa Claus visits.
Instead of being surrounded by Christmas trees and other holiday decorations, Santa would sit in a big white structure designed to look like a glacier.
The treeless arctic experience didn’t last long.
CBS affiliate WBTV reported that North Carolina’s SouthPark mall is taking down the “glacier” after public outrage over the change.
The set also featured an “ice chandelier” and a sound-and-light show. But it was not enough.
About 25,000 people signed a Change.org petition to bring back the Christmas tree.
Shoppers at another Simon mall, Roosevelt Field Mall in New York, were angry as well. CBS affiliate WLNY reported Simon described the glacier structure as a “cutting edge artistic design … designed to illuminate every imagination.”
Customers’ imaginations were not illuminated.
That mall reversed course, as well.
Roosevelt Field is adding a Christmas tree to the scene to “create a magical North Pole,” according to WLNY.
SouthPark said the glacier set was meant to be “fresh and exciting.” Well, it did provide plenty of excitement on social media, but it wasn’t positive: