Xmas recipes this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. This article is about the abbreviation.
For the holiday itself, see Christmas. The suffix -mas is from the Latin-derived Old English word for Mass. Early use of Xmas includes Bernard Ward’s History of St. An earlier version, X’temmas, dates to 1551.
Xmas is found in a letter from George Woodward in 1753. Since at least the late 19th century, Xmas has been in use in various other English-language nations. Quotations with the word can be found in texts first written in Canada, and the word has been used in Australia, and in the Caribbean. In the United Kingdom, the former Church of England Bishop of Blackburn, Alan Chesters, recommended to his clergy that they avoid the spelling. For the article about the χρ symbol, see Chi Rho. The Chi-Rho is a Christian symbol representing Christ. The abbreviation of Christmas as Xmas is a source of disagreement among Christians who observe the holiday.
The claims were picked up later by Gerald L. The abbreviation appears on many Orthodox Christian religious icons. Dennis Bratcher, writing for Christian website The Voice, states “there are always those who loudly decry the use of the abbreviation ‘Xmas’ as some kind of blasphemy against Christ and Christianity”. Christians, this is one of the most holy of the holidays, the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. And for people to take Christ out of Christmas.
They’re happy to say merry Xmas. And really, I think, a war against the name of Jesus Christ. Roland Martin likewise relates the use of Xmas to his growing concerns of increasing commercialization and secularization of one of Christianity’s highest holy days. Bratcher posits that those who dislike abbreviating the word are unfamiliar with a long history of Christians using X in place of “Christ” for various purposes. The word Christ and its compounds, including Christmas, have been abbreviated in English for at least the past 1,000 years, long before the modern Xmas was commonly used.
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as far back as 1021. Christ in Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Christian Churches. OED Supplement have cited usages of X- or Xp- for ‘Christ-‘ as early as 1485. The terms Xtian and less commonly Xpian have also been used for ‘Christian’. The OED further cites usage of Xtianity for ‘Christianity’ from 1634. Other proper names containing the name ‘Christ’ besides those mentioned above are sometimes abbreviated similarly, either as X or Xt, both of which have been used historically, e. Xtopher or Xopher for ‘Christopher’, or Xtina or Xina for the name ‘Christina’.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Xene and Exene were common spellings for the given name ‘Christine’. The American singer Christina Aguilera has sometimes gone by the name “Xtina”. Similarly, Exene Cervenka has been a noted American singer-songwriter since 1977. Greek words meaning ‘golden flower’, while Christ comes from a Greek word meaning ‘anointed’. In the animated TV series Futurama, Christmas is referred to just as “Xmas”, in speech and writing. Catholic Encyclopedia: Liturgy of the Mass. Origins of the Specious: Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language.