Christmas is celebrated every year on 25th of December. It is celebrated by people from every walk of life. Businesses call it Xmas as it is simple and easy to pronounce. But there is a difference between these two terms. They however, mean the same but have different stories related to it.
Christmas vs Xmas
The main difference between Xmas and Christmas is that Xmas is a short form of Christmas on the other hand Christmas is the word used by Christian world. Christmas simply means the mass of Christ. In Greek the word Christ begins with letter “ꓫ” which replaced Christ in Christmas and thus, came the word Xmas into being.
Christmas is the term that people use to denote the alleged date of birth of Jesus Christ. The term was coined by the Roman Catholic Church. It was adopted by the church from pagans who celebrated the day with feast. Such feast was first observed in Egypt.
Xmas means the same as Christmas but it sounds secular as it omits the word Christ from it. It is a shorthand notation of Christmas and it is used popularly by the people of every religion. The X in Xmas literally means Christ. It came from Greek word for Christmas.
Comparison Table Between Christmas and Xmas
What is Christmas?
Christmas is the day which is observed as the birthday of Jesus Christ by millions of people around the world. On this day people share gifts with each other especially kids. It is believed that a wise man presented a gift to the Christ-child and thus it became a tradition to share gifts with kids. This word originated from pagans who used to feat on this day.
The origin of the word is however controversial. Different Encyclopedia gives different account and meaning of the word and its usage. Encyclopedia Britannica, 1946 edition says that it is not established by Christ or the apostles.
The 1944 edition of Encyclopedia Americana says that the church allowed the celebration it to be celebrated on the Birthday of Sol. It is not common in Christian world to celebrate the birth of a great person. It is their death that is celebrated. Thus, Christmas has nothing to do with Christ.
So many theories of such kind revolve around the world but, it is celebrated all around the world as there was no controversy around it at all. People love this festival and it is one of the most widely celebrated festivals of the world.
What is Xmas?
Xmas is another term for Christmas like christemasse which came from Middle English. The word surfaced as an abbreviation of Christmas. The first letter “Chi” which is the first letter that comes in the spelling of Christ in Greek looks somewhat like X. So, some wise men replace Christ with it and thus came the word into usage.
If seen logically it means the same but due to change in just a letter it is considered somewhat offensive. It is not accepted by people and is frowned upon especially Christians. Non-Christians however use it without any problem as it is easy to pronounce.
Due to it being short businesses use this term to advertise their products on this day. The word sounds secular but has the same meaning and hence helps companies to escape any outlash. Instead of all its charm it is considered informal to use it. It is considered offensive.
It is commonly used by Millennials and those targeting them like TV commercials, etc. It is famously said during Christmas that “Don’t miss Christ in Christmas”. It simply suggests that one must not use the term Xmas. However, this word has become very famous as it finds it place in kids’ books. For most of us X stand for Xmas.
Main Differences Between Christmas and Xmas
- The word Christmas originated from Middle English word christemasse whereas, the word Xmas originated from Greek word for Christ.
- The word Christmas is formal in nature whereas the word Xmas is informal in nature.
- Christmas is used by Christians and Non-Christians alike but the word Xmas is used only by non-Christians and millennials.
- The first use of the word Christmas is disputed and different account gives different explanation for its origin whereas the word Xmas has its fix origin i.e., from Greek word for Christ and masse.
- Christmas sounds religious whereas the word Xmas sounds secular.
Conclusion
The two words sound the same but one is contracted form of the other and this makes all the difference. It is worth noting how a single contraction can bring all the change. The word Christmas being religious word has a religious connotation to it and is regarded holy however, the word Xmas has a different connotation.
They differ in origin and usage but convey the same message. The word Christmas has disputed meaning and origin which goes against the religious practice of Christians.
Xmas is controversial in nature as it hurts the sentiment of the religious people. It is alleged that the word omits the word Christ and hence it cannot be used to denote the festival. It is however used by many as it is convenient to use. However, it means the same as Christmas.
References
- https://www.jerrywdavis.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Plain-Truth-About-Christmas.Armstrong.pdf
- https://www.xmasexposed.com/uploads/5/9/9/1/5991751/a_case_against_xmas.pdf