Which do you prefer, “Merry Christmas!” or “Merry Xmas!”? If you use the latter phrase more, why? Most people believe that it is used to remove Christ from Christmas as an attempt to rid the holiday of religious implications. Other times, it is used as an informal abbreviation used for concision in advertisements and cards.
The “X” is from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word Χριστός which translates into English as “Christ” and the “-mas” is Latin-derived Old English for “Mass.”
“Xρ” or “Xt” were also common in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle starting in 1021. This X and P came from the uppercase forms of the Greek letters χ (Ch) and ρ (R) used in ancient abbreviations for Χριστος (Greek for "Christ"). The labarum, an amalgamation of the two Greek letters together: ☧. It is a symbol used most often in Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Christian Churches to represent Christ.
In early Christian art, χ and χρ were used to abbreviate the name of Christ. In various New Testament manuscripts and icons, Χ abbreviated for Χριστος. XC--the first and last letters of the Greek word--is also an abbreviation--comparative to IC for Jesus.
Popular appearances in history and culture of the word Xmas include, but are not limited to:
- Bernard Ward's History of St. Edmund's college, Old Hall (1755)
- “X’temmas” (1551)
- “Xp̄es mæsse” in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (1100)
- A letter from George Woodward (1753)
- Lord Byron used the term (1811)
- Samuel Coleridge also used it (1801)
- As did Lewis Carroll (1864)
- In the U.S., the fifth edition of the Royal Standard English Dictionary, published in Boston in 1800, included in its list of “Explanations of Common Abbreviations, or Contraction of Words”
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. used the term (1923)
- Since at least the late 19th century, it has been in use in various other English-language nations
- In the animated television series Futurama, which is set in the 31st century
Xmas is in fact not a controversial move towards commercialism and secularism in our society. In the past it was used most frequently by well-educated scholars in Greek, not heathens. There is much debate between Christians whether or not it is offensive to religion, but I see no basis for it if a person understands the linguistic origins. Even if the intention is offensive, what they don’t know is that they are still proclaiming Christ.
I think that those who believe that the Xmas word is just an attack on Christianity either don’t know this tidbit of information, underestimate our laziness and desire for more simplistic words, or are people intent on an “us-versus-them” mentality of believers versus non-believers, the religious versus the secular. If the first is true, then knowledge can be acquired via the World Wide Web and/or this handy dandy article that you are coming to the end of reading. If the second is true, then they must recognize how big a role short-hand and slang-terms play in society. If the third is true, then they don’t really understand the love of humanity and radically inclusive community of God.
I grew up in a conservative church setting where the word Xmas was portrayed negatively, either with spite or sympathy. I do not think that either is the correct response.
I have so much more joy in knowing that the Lord always prevails even in ignorance or bitterness towards Him. I am thrilled by this realization! I hold a little secret that I can responsively smile in satisfaction and share this knowledge.
