Since early November CBD commuters would be forgiven for thinking Carey herself is performing on the corner of Market and Elizabeth streets thanks to the big crowds flocking to the flagship store at all hours to inspect the five animated windows.

For decades the retailer has featured intricate displays of nativity sets, Santa's workshops, elves and reindeer, much to the delight of families, shoppers and passers-by. The feel-good sentiment changed last year though when the windows were dressed in merchandise and decorated with illustrated stencils by artist James Gulliver Hancock. There was a public backlash with people taking to social media slamming the project – inspired by "the timeless love children have for colouring" – and blaming the store for "ruining Christmas".

This year the shine has returned and like a phoenix rising from the ashes, or Carey bouncing back after her flop film Glitter, David Jones is displaying season's greetings on steroids.

"The windows tell a story about Pete the polar bear and his friends fulfilling every child's Christmas wish. The narrative starts with the polar bears reading the wishes, building the toys in the work room, wrapping the toys, stuffing Santa's sack and finally watching him fly into the night sky on his sleigh," a spokesperson said.

"The brief was to bring the magic of Christmas alive for all members of the public to enjoy. We wanted to evoke nostalgia amongst young and old with a traditional Christmas theme."

The feedback so far has been "overwhelmingly positive", and fans online are also pleased with the return to a more dramatic installation.

"Over the decades David Jones has entertained and delighted all ages and generations. Last year's Christmas display was clever but utterly disappointing as there was no Christmas sparkle," one follower posted to the official Facebook page.

"Thank the stars they didn't repeat last year's atrocious windows," wrote another.

The polar bear installation took a year to conceptualise and is one of the visual merchandising departments biggest projects. A spokesperson wouldn't be drawn on the budget for the campaign and whether it was increased following last year's PR disaster.

As well as the windows, David Jones has partnered with children's education charity The Smith Family for the first time and will take part in the annual Toy and Book Appeal. In-store theatres have also been rolled out and customers in Brisbane and Wellington will be treated to Christmas parades.