Xmas

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For the Italian frogman unit "Xª MAS", see Decima Flottiglia MAS. For the 2015 film, see Xmas (film).

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"Merry Xmas" redirects here. For the 2015 short film, see Merry Xmas (film).
This 1922 Ladies' Home Journal advertisement uses "Xmas".

Xmas is a common abbreviation of the word Christmas. It is sometimes pronounced /ˈɛksməs/, but it, and variants such as Xtemass, originated as handwriting abbreviations for the typical pronunciation /ˈkrɪsməs/. Eytmologically, "X" is a transliteration of the Greek letter Chi, the first letter of Χριστός (Christos), which is the Greek name for "Christ", while "mas" derives from the Old English "mæsse", itself a corruption of the Latin "missa" ("dismissal"), which from ancient times has come to designate the Catholic Mass[1].

Usage in English

History

The labarum, often called the Chi-Rho, is a Christian symbol representing Christ.
For the article about the "ΧΡ" symbol see Chi Rho.

Following the earlier Greek and Latin practice of abbreviating Christ's name using the first two (Χ-Ρ or Chi Rho in Greek), or the first and last letters of the name, frequent early abbreviations of "Christ" in English include "XP", "XTS", "XS", and so forth. One of the earliest known examples of abbreviating Christmas comes from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (AD 1021): "On Xp-es maesse uhtan" [OED]. From 1551 we get "From X'temmas next following" (Edmund Lodge, Illustrations of British history, biography and manners... I.145 (1791), as cited in the OED entry on Xmas).

In the early modern period, the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) and the OED Supplement cite usages of "X-" or "Xp-" for "Christ-" as early as 1485. The OED further cites the terms "Xpian" and "Xtian" for "Christian" and, from 1634, usage of "Xtianity" for "Christianity".

We begin to see the use of "Xmas" for "Christmas" by the middle of the 18th century in, for example, a letter from George Woodward in 1753,[2] and in Bernard Ward's History of St. Edmund's college, Old Hall (originally published circa 1755).[3] Samuel Coleridge used the term in 1801[4], followed by Lord Byron (1811)[5] and Lewis Carroll (1864).[5] In the United States, the fifth edition of the Royal Standard English Dictionary, published in Boston in 1800, included in its list of "Explanations of Common Abbreviations, or Contraction of Words" the entry: "Xmas. Christmas."[6] and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. used the term in a letter dated 1923.[5] Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage stated that modern use of the term is largely limited to advertisements, headlines and banners, where its conciseness is valued. The association with commerce "has done nothing for its reputation", according to the dictionary.[5]

Since at least the late 19th century, "Xmas" has been in use in various other English-language nations. Quotations with the word can be found in texts written in Canada,[7] and the word has been used in Australia,[8] and in the Caribbean.[9]

Modern Controversy

The abbreviation of Christmas as "Xmas" is a source of disagreement among Christians who observe the holiday. Dennis Bratcher, writing for a website for Christians, states "there are always those who loudly decry the use of the abbreviation 'Xmas' as some kind of blasphemy against Christ and Christianity".[10] Among them are evangelist Franklin Graham and CNN journalist Roland S. Martin. Graham stated in an interview:

for us as Christians, this is one of the most holy of the holidays, the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. And for people to take Christ out of Christmas. They're happy to say merry Xmas. Let's just take Jesus out. And really, I think, a war against the name of Jesus Christ.[11]

Martin likewise relates the use of "Xmas" to his growing concerns of increasing commercialization and secularization of one of Christianity's highest holy days.[12] Bratcher posits that those who dislike abbreviating the word are unfamiliar with a long history of Christians using X in place of "Christ" for various purposes.

In the United Kingdom, the former Church of England Bishop of Blackburn, Alan Chesters, recommended to his clergy that they avoid the spelling.[4] In the United States, in 1977 New Hampshire Governor Meldrim Thomson sent out a press release saying that he wanted journalists to keep the "Christ" in Christmas, and not call it Xmas—which he asserted was a "pagan" spelling of Christmas.[13]

Style guides and etiquette

"Xmas" used on a Christmas postcard, 1910

"Xmas" is deprecated by modern guides for writing styles. Style guides at the New York Times,[14] The Times, The Guardian, and the BBC all rule out its use, where possible.[4] Millicent Fenwick, in the 1948 Vogue's Book of Etiquette states that "'Xmas' should never be used" in greeting cards.[15] The Cambridge Guide to Australian English Usage states that the spelling should be considered informal and restricted to contexts where concision is valued, such as headlines and greeting cards.[8] The Christian Writer's Manual of Style, while acknowledging the ancient and respectful use of "Xmas" in the past, states that the spelling should never be used in formal writing.[16]

In popular culture

In the animated television show Futurama, which is set in the 31st century, Xmas, pronounced /ˈɛksməs/, is the official name for the day formerly known as Christmas (which, in the episode "Xmas Story," is said to have become an "archaic pronunciation").

In the board game Monopoly, players can draw a card from the Community Chest which reads: "Xmas fund matures. Collect $100".

See also

References

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External links

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