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__**Myer Windows**__
====Every year, Christmas is celebrated through the Myer Christmas window displays at Myers front, in Bourke Street Mall. First held in 1956, the Christmas windows have become a tradition of Melbourne Christmas. They were created by Fred Asmussen, who was originally in charge of merchandising the windows from 1939, although Asmussen finished this job in 1974. His last window was The Butterfly Ball.==== ====Every year, the windows are decorated differently, encouraging more people to come and see what the set theme is this year. Each year, over 1 million Australians and tourists come to see the selected theme. These themes are always chosen from a story book, nursery rhyme, movies, or even the theatre, which are brought to life, with lighting, costumes and moving objects, to help the Christmas spirit. Although it takes 6 months for artists, crafts people and animators to deign and create the windows, this means it is a big secret to the people of Melbourne until the 5th of November, where the theme is revealed.==== ====These windows have become a great childhood memory across generations. Parents and grandparents still remember those trips with their families to the Myer Christmas windows, to see the set theme for the year.====

__**History behind the name Myer.**__

[[image:mcscbd2011/myer_windows_2009.jpg width="249" height="162" align="right" caption="2009 Myer Christmas Windows"]]
====Myer was created by Sidney Myer in 1990, who had migrated from Russia to Melbourne in 1899. Sidney Myer arrived in Melbourne little money and tiny knowledge of English. He joined his brother in a local apartment in Melbourne. Before migrating to Melbourne, Sidney Myer was a respected and admired philanthropist, who was very successful and made a great amount of money. After living in Melbourne for 2 years, he had managed to get several jobs at local stores, one in which was a shoe cleaner. In 1889, he decided to open up a clothing store that allowed all men, women and children to come in and purchase items of their choice. Although it wasn't until 1990 that Myer was first ever opened in Bendigo, Melbourne. As Myer being so successful, they opened another store in 1908. In 1911, Myer purchased a business on Bourke Street, since then, Myer built the largest chain of department stores, and the only chain with all stores in all Australian states.==== ====In 1994, the unexpected death of Sidney Myer shocked all of Melbourne's people, leaving 100,000 people visiting Myer and lining the streets to and pay their respect for him. the company was handed over to someone else, and is still currently a very popular shopping franchise.====

Even in 1839, greeting the arrival of both Lady Franklin (wife of governor of Tasmania and Superintendent Charles Joseph La Trobe). In 1853, they started using them in ceremony gardens on summer nights. By 1886 firework shows were produced by James pain and Brock & Co. By 1930's the popularity of bonfires and fireworks on Empire day was established. By the 1930's there was an increasing number of damages to letterboxes, trees and hedges caught alight, motorists having bungers thrown into their cars, fires started in areas, animal damage and burns and eye injuries to children, Because of this, in 1992 they were taken much seriously, there was limited size and power of them and you were no longer aloud to use them in public spaces. A decade later, Public health Commission decided to ban all small fireworks and in 1974 and bonfires and firecrackers were banned in total.

Melbournes most significant celeberation involving fireworks, is New Years Eve. Millions of people come to Melbournes CBD, to say goodbye to the current year and welcome the present year. With live music and performances, lighting, projections, and ofcourse the fireworks, Melbournes CBD comes alive.

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