Why Xmas?

                                                                                         

Using the term Xmas instead of Christmas is often a guaranteed way of causing controversy.
Many people are familiar with the term Xmas which is often used as short-hand or as an abbreviation of Christmas, but how many people know why? It’s not as if Christmas is such a long word that it needs abbreviating?

Many people assume it has some religious connotation with people not wanting to use the word Christ because it is contrary or offensive to their own beliefs. While this would be the most logical reason it’s not actually correct.
When the printed word started to become a popular form of communication, around the 16th Century, it was a very time and labour intensive process. It was not unusual for even the most basic of printing processes to involve many hours of careful typesetting and abbreviations were often used to speed up the process.

So why use the letter X?
X is how the ancient Greek letter C is represented and there are many common instances of its use around the time. The letter X is still used today as a common abbreviation, as in Mr X, for example.

Enjoy Christmas Whatever it's Called
So the next time that someone writes merry Xmas in a greetings card or on a gift tag, instead of Merry Christmas, don’t take offence, it’s as traditional as Christmas itself!

About the author:
Helen writes for several Christmas Gift websites and is alo the editor of XmasPresents Online, a UK Christmas themed site with ideas and inspiration to help you buy seasonal gifts for all your family and friends.

Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com