Stonnington council removes word ‘Christmas’ from festive decorations to be inclusive

A Melbourne council has come under fire for cancelling the word Christmas from its festive decorations and signage, in a bid to be “inclusive”.

A Melbourne city council has come under fire for omitting the word ‘Christmas’ from its festive decorations and signage in a bid to be ‘inclusive’.

Stonnington City Council in Melbourne’s inner east has installed green and red signs displaying Christmas designs with the words ‘Make Merry’ — as opposed to ‘Merry Christmas’ — across its community.

Frustrated locals have launched a petition calling on the council to change the signs, while some of the decorations have been vandalised to read ‘Merry Christmas’.

The appeal, signed by 97 residents, said replacing Merry Christmas with Make Merry “risks diluting the unique cultural heritage associated with this festive season”.

“While we appreciate efforts to promote inclusivity, we believe this change may unintentionally diminish the cultural and religious significance of Christmas for many residents,” the petition read.

It’s a make merry season in Stonnington this year, after Christmas was cancelled. Picture: Supplied

Christmas has been restored in this sign. Picture: Supplied

In a statement, the council said they were “disappointed by the vandalism of Council’s festive decorations”.

“These decorations are for the enjoyment of all community members, residents and visitors to Stonnington,” the statement said.

“The ‘Make Merry’ campaign was developed in response to feedback from residents and businesses that articulated the need for an inclusive way to acknowledge the different celebrations held in December.”

Stonnington has defended its Christmas decorations. Picture: Supplied

The council, which covers some of the state’s wealthiest areas including Armadale, Kooyong, Malvern, Prahran, South Yarra, Toorak and Windsor, said it supported Christmas through other events.

“The motifs on the design are symbols associated with celebrating Christmas. Council also hosts two Christmas carol events, celebrates Christmas within our libraries and has Christmas trees in high-profile locations, including the 12m tree in Prahran Square.”

Reverend Father Mark Attalla from St Verena and St Bishoy’s Coptic Orthodox Church in Armadale said: “The word Christmas is derived from Greek and Latin. Christ from the greek word “Khristos” meaning messiah and “Missa” meaning celebrating the Eucharist. Hence we celebrate the birth of Christ with peace, love and joy in our hearts, you can’t get more inclusive than that.”