Many Christians worry that writing “Xmas” crosses Christ out of Christmas, but the story of the X is an ancient, deeply rooted Christian custom. This is the story ….
Where the X in Xmas comes from
In the Greek New Testament, the word for Christ is ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ (in capitals) or Χριστός (in lower case), which in Roman Latin letters becomes “Christos”, and which gives English its word “Christ”, the Greek equivalent of “Messiah”. The first two Greek letters of Χριστός are chi and rho, written ΧΡ, which look like the letters X and P. These have long been used as a sacred monogram for Christ.
Those two letters intertwined form the ancient chi-rho symbol ☧, which appears on banners, altar cloths, vestments, chalices, and stained glass windows in Catholic and Anglican churches. Its use goes back to the fourth century and the time of Emperor Constantine, the first Roman emperor to favour Christianity. Later, because chi (Χ) is the first letter of Χριστός, scribes in the Christian tradition began to use X on its own as a recognised contraction for the name of Christ.
A thousand years of Christian shorthand
Long before Christmas cards and shop signs, monks and clerks were using X as a holy abbreviation in handwritten documents to save time and space. An early attestable English example comes from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle around 1100, where “Christmas” appears as “Xp̄es mæsse”, an early spelling of “Christ’s mass” (Christmas) using the X contraction.
From there, a whole family of abbreviations developed: “Christian” could be written “Xian”, “Christopher” as “Xopher”, “Christina” as “Xina”, and “Christmas” as “Xmas”. In each case the X is not deleting Christ but standing in for him, drawing directly on the first letter of his Greek title Χριστός. When a sign or card uses “Xmas”, it is unknowingly borrowing an incredibly old Christian code.
The many meanings of X
Once you recognise that X can stand for Christ, a whole cluster of other uses of X suddenly become a way to illustrate the Christian message. X has gathered meanings in everyday language that can be re-read in the light of the gospel and can be used in talks and conversations:
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X marks the spot: In pirate stories, X on the map shows where the treasure is buried, a reminder that in Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”, and that the true treasure of Christmas is found where the X is.
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X is the unknown: In algebra x is the unknown quantity, the answer we are looking for, just as many people at Christmas are searching for meaning and find the answer in Christ.
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X is the X-factor: When someone has the “X factor”, they have that special something others long for, a picture of the unique quality Christ brings into a human life.
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X is a kiss: An x at the end of a message stands for a kiss and speaks of love, echoing the love of God shown in sending his Son.
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X is ten: In Roman numerals X stands for ten, which can recall the Ten Commandments that expose where we fall short.
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X marks wrong: Teachers use a red X to mark a mistake, a sign that we have done something wrong and stand in need of forgiveness.
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X stands for cross: On road signs an X at a junction indicates a crossroads, and “cross-reference” or “cross-roads” are often shortened in notes to “x-ref” or “x-roads”, reinforcing the connection between X and the cross.
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X means “times”: In multiplication, x means “times” or “many times”, which can remind us that Christ’s forgiveness and mercy are extended again and again.
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X is a vote: On a ballot paper an X in the box means you have chosen a candidate, an image of the personal decision to put one’s trust in Christ.
Each of these everyday uses of X can be used to explain the fullness of the Xmas and the Xian message.
Putting the X back into Xmas
Seen in this light, the X in “Xmas” does not remove Christ but encodes his name in the very letters, following the practice of ancient monks. The X can remind us of God’s commandments, our failures, the treasure of the gospel, the love of God, the cross of Christ, the repeated offer of forgiveness, and the decision each person makes in response.
So rather than complaining about seeing “Xmas” on a card or advertisement, Christians can use it as a talking point: explaining that the X comes from Χριστός, that it has been used in Christian writing for centuries, and that it points to the very heart of what Christmas is about. So, let’s put the X back into Xmas!
