“Xmas” is not kosher, which is to say that “Xmas” is not proper and it is certainly not fitting to use in place of “Christmas”.  Why?  What is the problem?

Some people see nothing wrong with using “Xmas” in place of “Christmas".  Their argument for so doing usually goes something like the following.

“Xmas” is merely an abbreviation for “Christmas”. “Xmas” is of Greek origin.  The word for Christ in Greek is “Christos” in the Latin alphabet.  But in the Greek alphabet it is “Xpistos”.  (N.B.  The Greek will not show up unless you have a special font, so it is given with the Latin alphabet as close as possible).

During the 16th Century, Western Europeans began using the first initial of Christ’s name in Greek, “X”, in place of the word “Christ” in “Christmas” as a shorthand form of the word. Although the early Christians understood that the “X” stood for Christ’s name in Greek, later Christians, who did not understand the Greek language, mistook “Xmas” as a sign of disrespect.

On the contrary, this is misinformation at least or deliberate disinformation or ignorance at worst, as well as an example of rabid revisionism!  The Greek “X” actually represents the first TWO letters of the word “Christ”, namely both the “C” and the “h”.  The Greek “X” represents the Greek letter, or character, “chi”, which is similar in appearance to the Latin character, or letter, “X”.

It is true that there are some inscriptions which appear on the tombs and walls of various 1st Century Catacombs at Rome, as well as various early Churches, etc., which include the Greek letter, or character, “chi”.

However, in these instances, the Greek letter, or character, “chi”, does not stand alone - all by itself!  Rather, the Greek  character, or letter, “p” (“rho”), which in our alphabet is the letter “r”, is ALWAYS superimposed over the Greek letter, or character, “chi” (“X”), thereby creating the Catholic art symbol “Chi” “rho” which is not the letter or character of any alphabet.  This was done by some of the early Christians at Rome, many of whom were Greek slaves who obviously knew the Greek language very well.

This explains why it has been common for Catholics, beginning with the Catholic Greek slaves of Rome in the first Century, A.D., to use the Greek “p” (rho) superimposed on the Greek “X” (Chi), as an art decoration or art symbol on Catholic Altars, Catholic liturgical vestments, tombs, etc., but never as a new letter or character of the Greek, or of any other, alphabet.

Historically, We are not aware of any instance when the Greek “X” (Chi) is ever used without also using the Greek “p” (rho) superimposed upon it in reference to Christ.  Hence, the position that 16th Century Western Europeans were the originators of using only the Greek “X” (Chi), without the Greek “p” (rho) superimposed upon it, is an historical falsity, and an apparent attempt to re-write history, since there is evidence to prove that the Greek “p” (rho) was superimposed on the Greek “X” (Chi) even as far back as the 1st Century A.D. in Rome and used as an art decoration or symbol! Therefore, the argument for using only the Greek “X” (Chi) without the Greek “p” (rho) is flagrantly FALSE!

By the same token, there is no proof that this Greek symbol, called the “Chi” “rho”, was ever tacked onto the front of “mas” at any point in time by anyone!

In addition, the 16th Century Greeks in Greece, and those in other areas where the Greek Orthodox Church had been firmly established for many centuries, would, as today, not call the Liturgical Rite of the Catholic Church for the Mass, “the Mass”, as it is called in the West, but rather “the Divine Liturgy” as it is called by the members of the various Eastern Liturgical Catholic Rites.  Hence, 16th Century Greeks would have no basis upon which to tack the Greek symbol “X” (Chi) onto the front of the word “Mass” or “mas”.  Therefore, the argument for using only the Greek “X” (Chi), without the Greek “p” (rho), seems to be flagrantly FALSE!

Finally, there seems to be only once exception, whether in the Greek language, the Latin language, or the English language, when one word is composed of two or more different alphabets.  This exception is the alleged Greek-English ”Xmas” which is a violation of grammatical law because one does not use two different alphabets in the same one word.  And, to add further confusion, in English, the Greek “X” (chi) looks exactly like the Latin “X”!

“Xmas” is the antithesis of correct communication.  IF this unalphabetical precedent was to begin to be followed, it would result in confusion which could lead to chaos.  Such a precedent would eventually  make dictionaries irrelevant and useless.  Why?  Because, if people could make up their own words using a combination of two or more different alphabets for the same one word, said word(s) would be meaningless, just like “Xmas”!  Rather, every person would have to publish their own dictionary and the thought of 5 billion different dictionaries is the acme of absurdity and the preservation of “language” would become impossible!

Rational communication would be hijacked by irrational, or rather non-rational, communication, leading to the lowest common denominator of communication - grunts and groans, making the tongue, as a tool of communication, obsolete, and consigning the term “communication” itself to the garbage heap of history.

This would result in the suicidal grammatical crime of poly-alphabetum-glutted-glotta, a.k.a. polyalphaglot.  Thus, the modern revisionist Tower of Babel would descend into the ice-ages of muted pandemonium in which writing and reading would be archaic and speaking would be flash frozen in its unarticulated cacophonous silence.

Therefore, the use of “Xmas” is wrong, historically, liturgically and grammatically.