Xmas or Christmas – Which is Correct & Why
Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ every December 25th, also known as Christmas Day. Although the exact date of His birth is not known, it was placed between 7 and 2 BC based on the two canonical gospels of the New Testament.
The date was chosen to coincide with the Roman winter solstice and nine months since the conception of Jesus. It is a Christian holiday marked by festivities and family get-togethers where people give gifts to each other especially to children.
People prepare for Christmas a few weeks before its celebration. Homes are decorated with Christmas trees, lights, mistletoe, and nativity scenes.
Christmas carols can be heard starting as early as October.
Businesses experience heightened activity during this time as people purchase new clothes and accessories for their children, food to prepare at Christmas Eve, and gifts to give to those they love.
All these are done to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, the time when God sent His Son to save the world from sin. Even though there is much debate as to the exact date of His birth, Christians generally accept December 25th as the day of Jesus’ birth.
The word “Christmas” comes from the Old English word “Cristes maesse” or “Christ’s mass” which was written to form one word starting in the 14th century. It was derived from the Greek word “Christos” (Christ) and the Latin word “missa” (mass).
The word “Xmas,” on the other hand, is used as an abbreviation of the word “Christmas.” The letter “X” comes from the Greek letter “chi,” the first letter in the Greek word for “Christ,” and “maesse” from the Old English word for “mass.” The word is considered as an informal form of the word “Christmas” and, as such, should not be used in formal writing. It has been in use since the year 1100 written as “Xpes maesse.” It evolved into the word “Xmas” during the middle of the 18th century.
Although the words “Christ” and “Christmas” have been abbreviated in the English language for the past 1,000 years, a lot of Christians decry the use of Xmas instead of Christmas because it takes out “Christ” from the word which is meant to commemorate His birth.
It is more associated with the commercialization of the holiday, with advertisements extensively using it because it is more compact, brief, and concise. However it is spelled, though, does not really matter as long as people know what Christmas represents.
Summary of Xmas or Christmas
1.Christmas or Christmas Day is the holiday which is celebrated by Christians as the birth of Jesus Christ while Xmas is the abbreviation of the word.
2.The word “Christmas” came from the Greek word “Christos” and the Latin word “missa” while the word “Xmas” came from the first letter of the Greek word for “Christ” and the word “mass.”
3.The word “Christmas” is the spelling most preferred by most Christians while businesses and advertisements prefer to use the word “Xmas” because it is more concise
