Happy X-mass Merry Christmas!
Have you ever wondered why people call Christmas ‘X-mass’ for short?
I did a little research and came up with this.
They have a pretty good and logical explanation of why people call Christmas ‘X-mass’. Unlike common belief, they say that the reason it was spread (and accepted) was because it saved on type costs.(No, Christians are not cheap.)
In any case, by the fifteenth century Xmas emerged as a widely used symbol for Christmas. In 1436 Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press with moveable type. In the early days of printing typesetting was done by hand and was very tedious and expensive. As a result, abbreviations were common. In religious publications, the church began to use the abbreviation C for the word “Christ” to cut down on the cost of the books and pamphlets. From there, the abbreviation moved into general use in newspapers and other publications, and “Xmas” became an accepted way of printing “Christmas” (along with the abbreviations Xian and Xianity). Even Webster’s dictionary acknowledges that the abbreviation Xmas was in common use by the middle of the sixteenth century.
That does make sense and there it is not used as an insult against Christians, Christ, or God.
Though it is a good reason to use ‘X-mass’ instead of writing out ‘Christmas’ its still not an excuse for doing it when the writer has the time to write out ‘C-h-r-i-s-t-m-a-s’. If the writer has the time to write ‘Christmas’ out and yet still writes ‘X-mass’ instead then it is considered offensive in context because the writer purposely ‘X’ed out ‘Christ’. (As you might say.)
So there is no grand scheme to dilute Christianity by promoting the use of Xmas instead of Christmas. It is not a modern invention to try to convert Christmas into a secular day, nor is it a device to promote the commercialism of the holiday season. Its origin is thoroughly rooted in the heritage of the Church. It is simply another way to say Christmas, drawing on a long history of symbolic abbreviations used in the church. In fact, as with other abbreviations used in common speech or writing (such as Mr. or etc.), the abbreviation “Xmas” should be pronounced “Christmas” just as if the word were written out in full, rather than saying “exmas.” Understanding this use of Christian symbolism might help us modern day Xians focus on more important issues of the Faith during Advent, and bring a little more Peace to the Xmas Season.
And with that i’ll close, saying “Please use Christmas this Christmas season instead of ‘X-mass’, I know you’ll have the time to do so. And if someone says ‘X-mass’ instead of Christmas to you then why don’t you tell them the history of the abbreviation. 
Merry Christmas!
