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About "Xmas"
 | 'Xmas' is an abbreviation for the word 'Christmas'. But, it isn't new, disrespectful or a sign of laziness. It also doesn't take the "Christ" out of "Christmas".
"X" is a letter in the the Greek alphabet. The word for Christ in Greek is "Xristos", so the letter "X" became a common symbol for Christ. During the Middle Ages, Christmas greetings and celebrations were banned in several countries at different times. Using the word "Xmas" was a way for people to still honor Christmas when they weren't allowed to say or write the whole word. |
Later Christians who didn't understand the Greek reference to Christ spread the rumor that anyone using the word "Xmas" was trying to take the meaning out of Christmas. This, of course, was not true, but the same rumor persists today.
There will always be people who disapprove of using "Xmas" or simply have a preference for the full word "Christmas". The only important thing to know is that "Xmas" wasn't created to be disrepectful to the holiday.
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