Xmas

Since the mid-twentieth century, Christians have complained that the use of “Xmas” was a deliberate attempt to “take Christ out of Christmas.” While there is no doubt that today’s secular culture wants to remove “Christmas” and “Merry Christmas” from the English vocabulary, the original use of “Xmas” had no political or spiritual overtones.

That the first syllable of “Christmas” comes from the word Christ is indisputable. In Greek the name Christ is χριστός (christos). The first letter looks like the English letter X. Every vocation has its shorthand, and those in the church used the Greek letter chi (χ) to represent Christ in words that began with “Christ-.” So “Xmas” is an honorable abbreviation for “Christmas.”

Writing in the Middle Ages was expensive, especially the ink. So writers tried to conserve the precious fluid by using shorthand where possible. In letters, records, and books, χριστός was represented by chi. This carried into the English language. In the 1828 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, the entry for “Xmas” reads, “As an abbreviation, X stands for Christ, as in Xn. Christian; Xm. Christmas.” Webster’s 9th Edition (1983) still defines Xmas as “[X is symbol for Christ from the Greek letter chi (χ), initial of Christos Christ + mas (in Christmas)]: Christmas (dates from 1551).”

The X (or chi) is intended as an honorable shorthand way to say Christ, and Xmas is shorthand for Christmas (originally the service of worship centered on the birth of Jesus Christ, but eventually referring to the season as well).

The truth about the origin of “Xmas” will probably not cure the misbelief that “Xmas” is an attempt to remove Christ from Christmas. So if you’re going to use “Xmas,” do so with friends who understand the etymology of words and who will not doubt your reverence for Christ.

 See: Christmas, Epiphany, Yuletide