Merry X-mas!
To all. Now, when and how did people start using the "X" for X-mas instead of Christmas?
Forum Discussion
Dutch_12078 wrote:Xmas is a common abbreviation of the word Christmas . It is sometimes pronounced /??ksm?s/, but it, and variants such as Xtemass, originated as handwriting abbreviations for the typical pronunciation /?kr?sm?s/. The "-mas" part is from the Latin-derived Old English word for Mass, while the "X" comes from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word ??????? which comes into English as "Christ".
There is a common misconception that the word Xmas stems from a secular attempt to remove the religious tradition from Christmas by taking the "Christ" out of "Christmas", but its use dates back to the 16th century.
(more)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas
So Merry Xmas, Merry Christmas, take your pick, but either one, enjoy the day!
Interesting and informing. Thank You.
