Merry Xmas

The other day I was sitting with my friend Jeff Brady in the Christian Ministries building on the IWU campus, and he was reading the Chronicle-Tribune, the premier newspaper of Marion, IN. He read aloud a letter to the editor, and afterwards I decided to write my own letter to the editor in response. Below I have posted both the original letter and my response.


No 'Merry Christmas?' Humbug!

An old issue is about to raise its ugly head again. The un-willingness of many stores to even acknowledge the coming holiday with a "Merry Christmas" displayed on their private business.

Someone somewhere might be offended.

Let me state now: I am a Christian, and I am offended. I am offended, of course, by the term "Merry Xmas" as anyone of intelligence should be.

I am nearly equally offended by silly attempts to avoid the seemingly harmless word "Christmas" and replace it with the generic "Happy holidays" or the confusing "Season's greetings."

I have a simple proposal for all people tired of the annoying and confusing word games. This year, if you believe in Christmas, do your Christmas gift shopping only at stores that have the words "Merry Christmas" displayed unashamedly on their store fronts.

Why spend your Christmas money in a place that does not support the holiday you are celebrating? And have a Merry Christmas.

[I have removed the author’s name from the end of the letter. He resides in Marion, IN.]

Originally published November 18, 2005



This is the letter I have written in response:

Dear Chronicle-Tribune and Grant County readership,

In response to the previous letter to the editor “No ‘Merry Christmas?’ Humbug!” published Nov. 18, 2005:

While we ought not to judge the motives of businesses who post signs using the allegedly blasphemous “Xmas,” we may become a little more tolerant of such practices with the help of some history.

In Greek, the letter X (chi), is the first letter of the word christos (anointed), from which we get the appropriate title of the Lord Jesus—‘Christ.’ This was the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Messiah. When Jesus asked his disciples about his identity, we are told in the Gospel of Matthew that Simon Peter said to Jesus, “You are the Christ [Messiah], the Son of the Living God” (Matt. 16:16, NRSV).

For Jesus’ first followers and also for the earliest Christians, who gave Jesus of Nazareth the title Christ, they were calling him anointed, Messiah, king; declaring him to be the savior of God’s people.

The two Greek letters XP (chi-rho) were the first two letters of christos, and became a monogram of Christ. It was one of the earliest Christian symbols for the faithful under persecution.

Later on in the church’s history, many writers, for the sake of saving space in manuscripts, would abbreviate the Lord’s name with many different monograms, including: XP, XC, X, IC, IX, and IXC.

So X has been a symbol of ‘Christ’ for a very long time. Abbreviations other than Xmas (for Christmas) include Xian and Xianity (for Christian and Christianity). As a good example of orthodox modern usage by Christians, Duke Divinity School lists its Christian theology courses under the abbreviation XTIANTHE.

Thus regardless of business motives, Xmas is not a debasing of Christ by replacing his name with an X, but rather an historical abbreviation of his name fully acceptable by orthodoxy.

And is there really anything that terrible about “Season’s Greetings,” or “Happy Holidays?” Have we not become more sensitive to people of other faiths, as we should, recognizing that not all celebrate Christmas? By all means, let us use “Merry Christmas” as we please, but let us not scorn those who do not.

Besides, albeit sad to some, we can no longer presume that when most people think of Christmas, they think of the coming of God’s Son in the flesh for our salvation.

Peace to you this Christmas and Holiday Season,

Scott David Hendricks