I once attended a church where the pastor was convinced “Xmas” represented a sinister attempt to eliminate Jesus Christ from the holiday we celebrate on December 25. “I hate it when they x-out the name of my savior,” he intoned in front of his congregation. However, after some research, I discovered the X in Xmas is actually an abbreviated reference to Jesus. In Greek, the language used in the New Testament, the word for Christ — Christos — begins with the letter x or chi. Fully spelled, the name looks like this:

Χριστός

According to Brandon Ambrosino, a freelance writer on culture and religion, it was the 4th Century Roman emperor Constantine the Great who popularized a shortened reference to Christ. Ambrosino notes that just prior to his decisive battle against Maxentius, Constantine had a vision that led him to create a special banner. This standard featured the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ: chi and rho.

These two intersecting letters became a “shorthand” reference to Jesus Christ.

It wasn’t until much later that the word Xmas began to emerge. Scholars believe the forerunner to this abbreviation came in 1021, when an Anglo-Saxon scribe saved himself space on parchment paper by writing XPmas. Eleventh-Century parchment paper was expensive, so any measure that saved space also saved money. As XPmas became more widely used, it eventually was shortened to Xmas. My guess is there are also economic reasons for using Xmas in contemporary society. Consisting of only four letters, it takes up less space on store signs and advertisements, saving money for businesses.

So, with apologies to my former pastor, I have to disagree with him that the use of Xmas represents a subtle attempt to take Christ out of Christmas. Speaking for myself, however, I prefer Christmas to Xmas. It’s more melodious, more pleasing to say and hear. Maybe that’s why Christmas appears in the lyrics of holiday songs much more often than Xmas. Just the same, feel free to wish me a Merry Xmas, if you wish, or Happy Holidays. Those greetings shouldn’t start a fight with anyone. After all, this is a season for spreading peace and goodwill.