Hallmark Drops ‘Gay’ From Lyrics On Ornament
"Deck the Halls" is one of the most well-known Christmas carols of all time. But the Hallmark greeting card company has decided to "update" the lyrics on one of its 2013 ornaments.
The original verse goes: "Don we now our gay apparel." But Hallmark's version, which appears on an ornament designed as an ugly Christmas sweater goes: "Don we know our fun apparel."
The company's Facebook page has received posts criticizing that decision. A woman who described herself as a Hallmark Gold Crown Rewards member posted that by changing the lyric, the company has made an unnecessary political statement.
Hallmark issued a statement to the media saying the history of the song dating back to the 1880's, a time when "gay" meant festive or merry. They went on to say that today the word has multiple meanings which they thought could lead to misinterpretation.