The Christmas Halls are no Gay but Fun
Christmas will no longer involve ‘gay’ just ‘fun’. This is what is seemingly happening over at popular card and keepsake company Hallmark, who this year are giving a centuries-old Christmas carol a modern day makeover.
The cause for Christmas to be no longer gay but fun, is due to a four-inch “Holiday Sweater” Keepsake Ornament in the shape of a thick, red Christmas jumper covered with jingly bells and a phrase reading, “Don we now our FUN apparel!” … Cute except they have changed the original lyrics from the carol Deck The Halls from ‘gay apparel’ to ‘fun apparel’.
According to the company in a recent announcement, the move came about due to the word ‘gay’ having multiple meanings, with a Hallmark representative saying this “could leave our intent open to misinterpretation.”
I somehow don’t think an oversized red knit sweater is really gay fashion. In fact, most gay men would probably turn their nose to something with a red bell pattern knit.
The melody of the carol dates back at least 200 years and was written during an era when the term gay meant “festive, colorful or bright” and was synonymous with the cheer of a holiday season.
In recent decades, the definition of gay has shifted to relate to homosexuality.
Hallmark said it doesn’t want to spark confusion among modern customers.
“Hallmark created this year’s Holiday Sweater ornament in the spirit of fun. When the lyrics to ‘Deck the Halls’ were translated from Gaelic and published in English back in the 1800s, the word ‘gay’ meant festive or merry. Today it has multiple meanings, which we thought could leave our intent open to misinterpretation,” a spokeswoman for Hallmark told American TV.
“The trend of wearing festively decorated Christmas sweaters to parties is all about fun, and this ornament is intended to play into that, so the planning team decided to say what we meant: “fun.” That’s the spirit we intended and the spirit in which we hope ornament buyers will take it.”
It’s not the first time the lyrics of ‘Deck the Halls’ have been changed.
In 2011, a Michigan elementary school teacher censored the word “gay” from the carol because young students allegedly kept giggling during rehearsal.
I don’t know what is more offensive, the fact that people can not fathom that some words in the English language have multiple meanings … or the fact that … no, it’s definitely more offensive that people can not fathom that some words in the English language have multiple meanings.
