"Xmas" blog

the following post is an excerpt from a blog from the writer/creator of the Revelations series, and since it's that time of the year, we've included here!

enjoy:

"...it's december 2010 and for several years now i hear the arguments of people taking out their soap boxes (on both sides) and proclaiming their take on what Xmas is, what it's become, what things are commercial, and what things are pagan about the holiday. and now a days there is so much packed into it, so researching the history can uncover many things that you never even considered why you associated them with Xmas n the first place [like why we celebrate Jesus' birthday in december when He was most likely born in a summer month, or how a Xmas tree found it's way as a central staple of the holiday... but i digress]. So is the term "Xmas" one of them? i've heard many a time that the term Xmas was just a secular version of the word Christmas, yet another attempt to take Christ out of his own holiday [or holyday]. in fact, i can think all the way back to childhood to watching really dated cartoons where they used the term Xmas instead of Christmas, and i felt like... why? why do they clutter such a great season and celebration watering down it's meaning even more into a murky muck and mire. so, needless to say every year this was something important that weighed on my heart... so, this year i began to do a little research.

in my research i cited several sources and they all pointed to a surprising conclusion. here's some of what i found:
'"Xmas" is a common abbreviation of the word "Christmas". It is sometimes pronounced /ˈɛksməs/, but it, and variants such as "Xtemass", originated as handwriting abbreviations for the typical pronunciation, /ˈkrɪsməs/. The "-mas" part is from the Latin-derived Old English word for "mass",[1] while the "X" comes from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word Χριστός, translated as "Christ"...

The proper names containing the name "Christ" other than aforementioned are sometimes abbreviated in this way (e.g., Xtina Aguilera for the name "Christina Aguilera"). This apparent usage of "X" to spell the syllable "kris" (rather than the sounds "ks") has extended to "xtal" for "crystal", and on florists' signs "xant" for "chrysanthemum",[19] though these words are not etymologically related to "Christ": "crystal" comes from a Greek word meaning "ice", and "chrysanthemum" comes from Greek words meaning "golden flower" (while "Christ" comes from a Greek word meaning "anointed").'

hmmm, i said... and yes i found it very interesting that these sources actually cited the early church as the origin of the abbreviation of the name of Christ to the greek letter X, though the exact origin is unclear:
"The exact origin of the single letter X for Christ cannot be pinpointed with certainty. Some claim that it began in the first century AD along with the other symbols, but evidence is lacking. Others think that it came into widespread use by the thirteenth century along with many other abbreviations and symbols for Christianity and various Christian ideas that were popular in the Middle Ages. However, again, the evidence is sparse."

having no recollection of hearing this origin with any certainty prior to this hike up research trail on the quest for knowledge mountain, i am open to hear anyone else's thoughts and research on the matter.

though i do believe that this information is true, at least in part, about what the X means and where it comes from.

so, the question arrises again; Xmas or Christmas?
for me (and that's just about the only person i'm actually qualified to speak on behalf,) i chose to say and type and write Christmas. even knowing the what Xmas means, and that it's not a diabolical plan by atheists to rob Christmas of Christ, doesn't make me want to use some sort of hybrid of greek and latin words, to save room on a printing press, a greeting card or in my storefront display. simply because i'd PREFER to use the name of Christ. to me, Christ doesn't need an abbreviation. if i tell someone merry Christmas they will fully get what i mean, if i tell someone merry Xmas (even if they know the origin of X) they might not get it, or know what i necessarily meant by it. i want to communicate that clearly. this is the season where we proclaim the birth of our savior, remembering when we were given the greatest gift ever given... the gift that was a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger that would make salvation available to everyone.

and with all the things that people have added to this holyday over the years i PERSONALLY want to strip it down to it's core and celebrate, express, and proclaim the true reason for this season. Jesus the Christ.

merry CHRISTmas!"


ps-
speaking of...
don't forget our christmas sale, just 2 days left!
[see previous post below for details]