“X” marks the spot!
Mrs. Bloch was my 6th Grade Confirmation teacher. I remember her getting upset over the common practice of calling Christmas Xmas. 
“They’re taking Christ out of Christmas,” Mrs. Bloch would say.
Guess what, Mrs. Bloch? They’re not! In fact, “X” marks Christ at the heart of the season. Here’s the scoop.
The X in Xmas is a descendant of the Greek letter Chi, which looks like our letter X. Chi is the first letter in the word Christ (which is written “Christos” in Greek).One of the symbols used for Christ during the Middle Ages was the Chi Rho (written ??—sorry Microsoft, as usual, you didn’t use it first!). Many people say “PX” when they see it but should really say XP or, more properly, Chi Rho. That comes from the title “Christ” (which means “the Annointed One”) in Greek.
By 1100 AD we see that many times the “P” (Rho) was dropped, with just the “X” (Chi) remaining. At first it had a dash over it to distinguish it from the Latin X or Roman numeral X. That soon was dropped and it became a plain X like we see today.
Medieval copyists found it convenient to use the Chi as a shorthand for Christ. In fact, you can even find times when Xmas is used for Christmas even back then. That’s how the Greek Chi (which looks like our X) became a shorthand for Christ and Xmas a shorthand for Christmas.
So, Mrs. Bloch, they didn’t take Christ out of Christmas by writing it Xmas. Jesus right at the heart of the word and the season. Instead, Xmas is a living relic of the Middle Ages brought down to our day and age.
Unfortunately, we’re uninformed about its true meaning and source. Perhaps we can use that to our advantage! We can use the commonly used shorthand Xmas as one way to remind others that Jesus is at the very heart and soul of the season.“ By the way, do you know why we often use Xmas for Christmas?” I can see the opportunities all around us. Can you?
So, remember, X marks the spot! And instead of taking Him out of, “X” marks Christ in Christmas!
Merry Xmas!
Regards, in Christ,
PJKreft
