Hallmark omits word 'gay' on Christmas ornament.

Don we now our fun apparel!

So goes the new lyric to 'Deck the Halls' after greeting card giant Hallmark swapped out the word 'gay' for 'fun' on a Christmas ornament created to look like a sweater. The uproar from annoyed customers over the linguistic limbo is not something Hallmark was expecting, according to ABC News--but they have an excuse.

"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," explained Hallmark.

Sure, Hallmark is digging a grave for themselves, but why stop them? Let them continue to explain their logic.

"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," said Hallmark.

There are a few things to surmise from Hallmark's explanation.

1.) Hallmark admits the word 'fun' was a secondary choice.

2.) Hallmark is afraid of being thought of gay-friendly. Otherwise, why would they worry about "leav[ing] our intent open to misinterpretation"?

3.) They assume their customers are unintelligent, and collectively those consumers neither know the original lyrics to 'Deck the Halls,' nor understand the history of the word 'gay.'

Now, I wouldn't want you to be confused the word 'hallmark,' which originally had no association with greeting cards or Christmas ornaments.

Indeed, 'hallmark' originates from London, where the assay office in Goldsmith's Hall marked various metals for standard designations. The metals couldn't be legally sold without the mark.

This has nothing to do with greeting cards. In fact, it might be best to skip the word 'hallmark' altogether. You might misinterpret it.