To Ask You NOT To Say/Write/Text Xmas?

[ThePoppyAndTheIvy]

Just that really. What the hell is Xmas anyway? Whether we believe in god or not, we can all understand that Christmas is so called because it supposedly celebrates the birth of Christ.

So, what do we celebrate at Xmas - the birth of X?

Hate it I do, hate it. And I admit to thinking a little less of anyone who uses it.

And I'm not even religious!

[sashh]

What the hell is Xmas anyway?

It's the greek form of Christ with mas added to it. X was used, along with the fish symbol to identify Christians from about 33AD. So longer than the word Chrstmas in English.

So Xmas, Chrimbo, and Yule to you.

[cory]

X is the normal way of writing Christ in the Middle Ages and later: you see it in medieval Bibles, in church music, in the writings of the saints, in liturgical manuals, in theological manuscripts. In fact, I can't remember ever seeing the word written out in full in this kind of work.

Should I stop reading this literature because it is just too sloppy and disrespectful? (I've said many harsh things about St Bernard in the past, but I've never thought of calling him sloppy before- rather enjoying that )

To me, the modern fussiness about Xmas is just another sad sign of how we are getting out of touch with the past.

btw just realised I abbreviated St in the above. Is that disrespectful too?

[AuntLucyInTransylvania]

Err - the pagan festival starting on the 25th Dec is named Yule. The festival of 'Christ's Mass' is Christian. The date of christmas was intentionally coincided with Yule in order to merge the two festivals and smooth the spread of a new religion across Europe.

[whois]

YABU about writing Xmas

YANBU about saying xmas

[AnnaRack]

Agree with Op, it's lazy. Though I would say texting it is just about ok .

[FreudianLisp]

'x' is short for lots of things. At work (in a hospital), we write tx (treatment), px (patient), hx (history) etc. I don't really see what the problem with Xmas is.