Xmas vs Christmas

Christmas is also sometimes called Xmas. Some people don't think it's correct to call Christmas 'Xmas' as that takes the 'Christ' (Jesus) out of Christmas. But that is not quite right! In the Greek language and alphabet, the letter that looks like an X is the Greek letter chi / Χ (pronounced 'kye' - it rhymes with 'eye') which is the first letter of the Greek word for Christ, Christos.

The early church used the first two letters of Christos in the Greek alphabet 'chi' and 'rho' to create a monogram (symbol) to represent the name of Jesus. This looks like an X with a small p on the top:

The symbol of a fish is sometimes used by Christians (Ichthys, sometimes spelled Ichthus, or Ikhthus, from Koine Greek: ΙΧΘΥΣ is the ancient and classical Greek word for “fish.” In English it refers to a symbol consisting of two intersecting arcs, the ends of the right side extending beyond the meeting point so as to resemble the profile of a fish, used by Early Christians as a secret symbol and now known colloquially as the “sign of the fish” or the “Jesus Fish.”   

ΙΧΘΥΣ (Ichthys) is an acronym for “Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr, which translates into English as “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior”.  According to tradition, ancient Christians, during their persecution by the Roman Empire in the first few centuries after Christ, used the fish symbol to mark meeting places and tombs, or to distinguish friends from foes.) 

This comes from the time when the first Christians had to meet in secret, as the Romans wanted to kill them (before Emperor Constantine became a Christian). Jesus had said that he wanted to make his followers 'Fishers of Men', so people started to use that symbol.

When two Christians met, one person drew half a basic fish shape (often using their foot in the dust on the ground) and the other person drew the other half of the fish. The Greek word for fish is 'Ikthus' or 'Ichthys'. There are five Greek letters in the word. It can also make up a sentence of Christian beliefs 'Ie-sous Christos Theou Huios So-te-r' which in English means "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour". The second letter of these five letter is X or Christos!

So Xmas can also mean Christmas; but it should also be pronounced 'Christmas' rather than 'ex-mas'!

The small letters in the

image are the alpha and omega

The labarum, as a monogram

engraved on soldiers' shields,

 is a military emblem.

For Christians, it is a Christogram

(or Chrismon) and reminds them

 of the fight is against evil.