do u write xmas or christmas on cards,,, my kid was told at school yesterday, that xmas is xing out christ!!!!

Question

my kids go to a catholic school, and were told that when you write xmas it is wrong cos it is crossing out the word christ, i never thought about that!
i always write xmas cos its quicker, but i wont do it anymore!

have u ever heard about that? thanks, just wandering, cos im 32 and never heard it before xxxxxxxxx

THANKS SOCKO

and RICO,, its abbreviation,,, not bad english

Answer 1

I was told about this years ago. I was like you and wrote xmas because it was quicker.
When I was told I was xing out Christ I thought , How stupid.
But I could never write xmas and x out Christ again.

Answer 2

Whoever told your kids that needs to learn a little history. And I know a lot of people who think the same thing, and also need to learn some history. In point of fact, the X in Xmas comes from the Greek letter X (or chi) which has been an abbreviation for "Christ" for more than 1,000 years. It is the first letter of the Greek word Χριστος, and is the source of half of the Greek Orthodox symbol of a P crossed with an X (the P comes from the second letter in the Greek form of "Christ").

Answer 3

Is it that time of year again? The "X" in "Xmas" is actually the Greek letter "chi", which looks just like an "X". "Chi" is the first letter in "Christos", the Greek name of Christ. Back in the days of chiseled stine and expensive sheepskin, abbreviatioons were good! Now that we have computers, writing "Christmas" in anything less than 32 point German Blackletter and gold ink is considered sacrilege. Tell your kids their informers are pretentious crackpots.

Here's a trick: write a "P" on top of the X. That's called a "chi-rho" and represents the first TWO letters in Christ. It's very Catholic and it will confuse the more ignorant classmates and teachers.

(Come to think of it, Christ DID get "crossed" out.)

Answer 4

Actually, a sign for the early Christians to cross their two fingers in the form of an X as a sign to other Christians.

The Greek letter Chi - represented as an X was the symbol for Christ, which is how the sign of crossing your fingers in an X shape got started.

Since X stood for Christ, Christmas is sometimes shortened to Xmas.

Answer 5

X is the first letter of the word Christ in the Greek language. Therefore, Xmas = Christmas.

Look here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas

Answer 6

If your kid's school is teaching that the word "Xmas" is disrespectful to Jesus, then you need to change schools, and those teachers need to find work they're more qualified to handle. "X" as an abbreviation for Christ dates back centuries, and some people still use the term "Xianity". Look up "Xmas" in any dictionary.

One explanation is that "X" is the first letter in the Greek word for Christ (X in Greek is chi, the first letter in Christos), while others say it represents the cross.

How would a teacher at ANY school not know that, let alone a religious one?

Answer 7

A Catholic school did that? Wow.... I would think they would know that the X is actually a symbol OF Christ.

Yes, I've heard of it. Several times actually. It's not Xing out Christ. That's silly. They should really read up on it.

Chi Rho

Answer 8

I would never think of writing Christmas without "Christ" in it. I would expect that from a non-believer, but not a Christian. As far as it being quicker to omit letters...well, you know most times whatever is easier in life isn't always better. Christ is worth any extra effort on our part. Merry Christmas to you!

Answer 9

Commen misconception. Re-educate your sons teachers. Χριστος (Greek for "Christ") an amalgamation of the P with a cross through it has been used by Catholics to symbolise Jesus and ancient scholors recognised it - just modern ones dont it seems.

Answer 10

I have heard that too and I always write Christmas. I am also Catholic. I can't remember where i heard it from but I realised that was true. I only heard it a few years ago though...