"Deck the Halls" (original English title: "Deck the Hall") is a traditional Christmas and New Year's Carol. The "fa-la-la" refrains were probably originally played on the harp. The tune is Welsh dating back to the sixteenth century, and belongs to the winter carol "Nos Galan". In the eighteenth century, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart used its tune for a violin and piano duet. The repeated "fa-la-la" is from medieval ballads and used in Nos Galan. The remaining lyrics are American in origin dating from the nineteenth century.
This song is featured in various Disney music media, including Disney presents A Family Christmas.
Lyrics
Deck the halls with boughs of holly
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
'Tis the season to be jolly
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Don we now a gay apparel
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la
Troll the ancient Yuletide carol
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
See the blazing Yule before us
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
Strike the harp and join the chorus
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Follow me in merry measure
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la
While I tell of Yuletide treasure
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
Fast away the old year passes
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
Hail the new ye lads and lasses
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Sing we joyous all together
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la
Heedless of the wind and weather
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
In Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas!, when Teddy, in an attempt to gain money to fly to Palm Springs to join her family, sings the song. She receives a small amount of money before it is taken out of her collection box (a.k.a. hat).
In the Good Luck Charlie episode "A Duncan Christmas", when Amy and Linda both decide to sing the song at the Annual Duncan Christmas Eve Talent Show. After several fights, they both eventually decide to do so as a duet, but things do not end up well, as they fight whilst performing.
Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas features the song twice: once at the beginning of the film with the denizens of the town entering the castle, and once in which Forte sings a macabre variation of it.
In The Little Mermaid Christmas-themed audiobook and cassette "Christmas Under the Sea", there is a cover version of the song sung by Sebastian, featuring altered lyrics incorporating fish and ocean life-related puns like "Deck de halls with de shells and de seaweed (Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la)/Lots of de sea stars, that's what we need (Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la)/Wear your shiny pearls and de coral (Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la)/While we sing dis Christmas carol (Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la)/etc."
