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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to passionatley hate people writing Xmas?

72 replies

DaddyIsHome · 10/12/2013 11:45

Im not majorly religious but I think that writing Xmas is just lazy and somewhat dissrespetful. To make it worse it doesnt really make sense, Xmas that sounds nothing like Christmas. So AIBU to dislike the fact that people abrevieate it?

OP posts:
LRDtheFeministDragon · 10/12/2013 11:59

May be boring, but if you're interested, there's the abbreviation (referring to Christ, not Christmas, sorry!) in old writing here:

www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/ILLUMIN.ASP?Size=mid&IllID=29004

If you look at the speech scroll in the picture, the fourth word is 'xpm' (=Christum). Click to magnify.

Phaush · 10/12/2013 12:00

I use it when labelling boxes at work because it's significantly quicker to write and means the same thing.

BigToesofFrog · 10/12/2013 12:01

Crimbo
Crimb-ola
Crimbalooloo
Crimble-Bimble

We basically just talk unfathomable nonsense in our house. No word is safe, at this time of year all of the above have been said.

Original poster
DaddyIsHome · 10/12/2013 12:02

I know the kind of person you mean Yellowcake. Gigondas Im really not a fan of crimbo either!

OP posts:
redshifter · 10/12/2013 12:08

I don't think it is disrespectful but it does annoy a little bit. Don't know why.

What does annoy me is when people actually say "Exmas"

AliceinWinterWonderland · 10/12/2013 12:12

Personally I much prefer the toddler's way of saying "pissmas" from the Pictures of MNetters Christmas trees thread. Xmas Grin

revivingshower · 10/12/2013 12:15

I love it. I like all those abbreviations and funny made up words like crimbo and chillax.
Weirdly though (not to do with christmas here) it annoys me when they start using a word in the workplace for their special meaning like "outcomes" and in the NHS "pathways".

Tweasels · 10/12/2013 12:38

Grin Pissmas

That is inspired!

The latest Kwissmass post was from a FB friend who I have mentioned before refers to her family as 'hubs and bubs'. In the post 'Bubs' had a Xmas pud costume on and is apparently 'super duper excitimo for Kwissmass. He didn't look that excited, more sort of concerned for the welfare of his mum. Grin

sashh · 10/12/2013 12:41

X or a picture of a fish are really old symbols meaning 'Christ', but OP you have now been educated will it still annoy you?

badtime · 10/12/2013 12:49

Here is a good picture of the Chi, looking somewhat like an X, being used as an initial for Christ (from the 8th/9th Century Book of Kells). I don't think the monks were being disrespectful:

www.eccentricbliss.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Book_of_Kells_Chi_Rho_Beginning_of_Matthew_copy.jpg

LRDtheFeministDragon · 10/12/2013 12:51

That's so pretty.

Original poster
DaddyIsHome · 10/12/2013 13:00

I think I can now accept Xmas as i have actually been educated as to what it means so thanks guys Smile on the other hand i still cant stand crimbo, is there something i should know about that? GrinGrin

OP posts:
notanotherusername1 · 10/12/2013 13:33

I can't stand to see it and would never write it myself either. I am not religious but would always use the word Christmas.

Just realised I have bought a pack of 20 Christmas cards because the picture was beautiful and inside it says 'Happy Holidays'. Did not notice that at the time I bought them. Hate that.

ItsIgginningToLookALotLikeXmas · 10/12/2013 15:31

Now wondering how many people my Christmas-name has irritated!

BackOnlyBriefly · 10/12/2013 15:36

Disrespectful to who? Jesus? I'm an atheist celebrating the secular xmas.

SwedishEdith · 10/12/2013 15:42

Well, I never knew that about xmas. That's really useful because I also deliberately use in like BigToes in a "...slightly saddo way it is my own little way of deflating the whole stressful debacle, and kicking back at the idea that christmas is all about christ and at people who take it all so seriously. When to me it is about a midwinter party and celebration for its own sake" But even better to know it's actually fine to do so as well Grin

Spaulding · 10/12/2013 15:43

YABU. Crimbo is the absolute worst.

Thisisaghostlyeuphemism · 10/12/2013 15:46

I write Xmas because I know it annoys people.

I can't bring myself to write chrimbo yet.

Thisisaghostlyeuphemism · 10/12/2013 15:47

There's no h in crimbo is there?

Doh

sandfrog · 10/12/2013 16:57

YANBU. It's slang, albeit 15th century slang Grin

winklewoman · 10/12/2013 17:11

I'm not keen on split infinitives, OP, and prefer the traditional way of spelling 'passionately'.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 10/12/2013 21:58

The earliest example I can find is twelfth century. It's slang, but not even fifteenth century slang. Grin

daisychain01 · 10/12/2013 22:24

Damn! After all these years, I feel cheated now and need to see my psychoanalyst.

I went to a convent school and one year the nuns made us run a school campaign "put the Christ back into Christmas" because they said it was wrong for shops to commercialise Our Lord's birthday. So ever since then I always resisted putting Xmas because I was conned taken in by those pesky nuns, thinking I was committing a moral sin.

Even though Grennie has now educated us and put us straight, I feel guilty about changing the habit of a lifetime and writing Xmas.

Just think of all that ink I could have saved.....

daisychain01 · 10/12/2013 22:25

Or even a mortal sin Grin