KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Hallmark Christmas ornaments are a tradition in many families. Now the Kansas City-based company is drawing criticism for changing the lyrics of a ‘traditional’ Christmas carol. The ornament under fire is a sweater that reads, “Don we now our ‘fun’ apparel.” Anyone who knows, ‘Deck the Halls,” realizes that some creative license has been taken.
Hallmark remixed the catchy Christmas tune this holiday, instead of ‘gay apparel’ it’s ‘fun apparel’ on the 2013 sweater ornament.
Hallmark says yes, originally when the lyrics to ‘Deck the Halls’ were translated from Gaelic in the 1800’s, the word gay did mean festive and merry, but these days it has multiple meanings.
The ornament is getting loads of attention Hallmark’s Facebook page is being inundated by customers accusing the company of using the knick-knack to make a political statement, which Hallmark denies.
One person posted: “Don we now our “gay” apparel” is now offensive? To whom? Hallmark is obviously being ran by politically correct liberal morons who have nothing better to do with their time!”
However, Charlene Daniels, the director of LikeMe Lighthouse, an LGBT community center in Kansas City, Missouri said Hallmark made the right choice.
“Lots of words started out a hundred years ago meaning one thing which is when that word was put into the song and now it means something different. There are words that started out a hundred years ago being perfectly safe and fine and somehow they morph into a bad word,” Daniels said. “I think it’s time to let go of the word gay. It’s been used in schools now too much for picking on other kids, and saying that’s so gay.”
Hallmark definitely has people clashing on this issue and then there are those who say it doesn’t matter whether the ornament says gay or fun. Late on Thursday afternoon, Hallmark issued a statement saying it never intended to offend or make political statements with its products. The company said in hindsight, it realizes it should not have changed the lyrics. The statement makes no mention of taking it off the shelves, though.
