DORCHESTER, Mass. (WPRI) — A quick apology is coming from Dorchester’s Historical Society after releasing a holiday card that wasn’t well-received by the public.

The card read, “We’re dreaming of a white Dorchester,” which was inspired by lyrics in the song “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby.

While the Dorchester Historical Society meant the phrase as wanting snow on Christmas Day, some people were offended by the card’s choice of words.

The card was interpreted by some to be talking about race.

Dorchester is one of Boston’s most diverse communities, with 45 percent of residents being black, 22 percent white, and 18 percent Hispanic.

The holiday card was sent to all of the historical society’s supporters and was met with backlash on social media.

Some said the message was offensive and insensitive. 

“With everything going on today, with the ‘white Christmas’, they could have chosen better wording,” said Lavesha Stinson, of Dorchester.

Jessica Stephens, a resident of Dorchester, says she understands how the phrase could be misinterpreted. 

“It could go either way,” said Stephens. “It could depend on how you take it. Some people can’t wait for a white Christmas, so it would all just depend on how you take it.”

The Dorchester Historical Society quickly posted an apology on Twitter.

“We are very truly sorry about our graphic used for this event,” the society wrote. “This was an unfortunate oversight on our part and the event photograph has been removed from our social media. We were simply changing the words to the classic Christmas Carol and did not think it through properly.”