Merry Xmas!!!!

I don’t have a problem with Merry Xmas.

(pause)

I’ll say it again...

I do not have a problem with saying, writing, tweeting or posting Merry Xmas. It’s not offensive to me.

I do have a problem with individuals who get irate about other people using, saying, tweeting, writing or posting Merry Xmas. Typically their reason for being so severe is because they are “Christians” and they want to tell you not to take the Christ out of Christmas.

Well, to me, Xmas doesn’t take the Christ out of Christmas. In fact, to me, it puts the Biblical Greek back into Christmas. That’s right, folks. X in Xmas stands for “chi” (written as X) in Greek, which is the first letter of Χριστός (Khristós), the name for Christ.

(another pause…let this one sink in)

Χριστός, which means the anointed one, is the name used for Christ throughout the New Testament writings. The first two letters became a prevalent symbol for members of the early church. The usage of the chi-rho symbol dates back to the Roman emperor, Constantine, and was representative of the crucifixion.

When individuals refer to Xmas, it is just a shortening of Christ in the Greek form. Technically people should probably say Xpmas, but the X can stand in for Χριστός just as well as the full chi-rho symbol.

I think what bothers me most about the debate is not the use of Christmas verses Xmas. What bothers me is the fact that so many Christians get their panties in a wad and have to attack Xmas users by saying they don’t believe in Christ. You know, a lot of Xmas users probably don’t. But you know what else…a LOT of Xmas users know the true meaning of Christmas and may just need to shorten the word for a particular reason. Like fitting it in a 140-letter tweet!

Next time you feel a surge of anger when you see Xmas being used, think about why you are getting so mad. And think about your attitude and how it portrays Christ or Χριστός to those around you.

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“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” ~ James 3:9-10