Less than 24 hours after administrators of The Carolina Preserve at Amberly met with residents to discuss a ban on holiday displays at the community's clubhouse, representatives of Pulte Homes had a change of heart.

The turnabout came after outraged homeowners protested to directors of the active-adult community in western Cary.

Pulte, which manages the community of older adults, notified residents in a Nov. 19 memo that the community would allow only seasonal displays, such as wreaths, nutcrackers and snowmen.

The memo also said that Christmas trees, manger scenes and menorahs, among other festive and faith-based symbols, would be banned from the main lobby of the clubhouse, Bradford Hall.

On Monday, as many as 150 residents snowed Steve Schlageter, president of Pulte's Raleigh office, with questions about the decision.

"The administrator, I felt, was very sympathetic to a minority group that didn't want a Christmas tree or any type of religious sign," said Robert Burke, a Carolina Preserve resident who attended the meeting.

According to Burke, Pulte sent an e-mail to Carolina Preserve residents on Tuesday saying that the company changed its mind. A Christmas tree will be allowed after all in the main lobby of Bradford Hall. Religious displays, regardless of faith, also will be allowed elsewhere in the building.

Burke thinks the same group of neighbors also successfully lobbied Schlageter to forbid the placement of collection bins at Bradford Hall by CP Cares, a neighborhood group that has regularly sought donations for the Chatham Food Bank.

"The people who live here are pretty giving people," Burke said. "They're in a stage of life where they want to give back a little. We feel that we're being thwarted."

Schlageter said Pulte did change its position regarding holiday displays. As for the collection bins, he said that decision was made after consulting with Pulte's community management team and advisory committees made up of Carolina Preserve residents.

He said residents still have the ability to collect items for charity, but Pulte doesn't keep the bins up front all the time anymore.

Schlageter said the purpose of the advisory committees, and open meetings like the one held Monday night, is to give residents a voice.

"Unfortunately, sometimes -- as with any family -- not everybody agrees on every issue," he said.