The holiday season is quickly approaching, and bringing with it twinkling lights, gift-shopping season, and…controversy? It has become more and more common for people and different organizations to replace the word “Christmas” with “X-mas”, and this small substitution is infuriating many.

So why exactly is X-mas used? More often than not, X-mas is simply a quicker, easier way for people to write Christmas. I mean, four letters compared to nine? No question there. However, there is a brief history behind the use of the word. Along with being a convenient replacement, the “X” in X-mas is actually the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word that means “Christ”. Symbolic, isn’t it?

Many people see otherwise. We all know of the true meaning of Christmas, and many believe that replacing “Christ” with the letter “X” is disrespectful and a way to “take the Christ out of Christmas.” This is not the case. Sure, people are certainly justified in feeling irked at the removal of the word “Christ.” I mean, Christians aren’t the only ones who celebrate Christmas anymore, so the true meaning is often overshadowed. Nonetheless, there is a specific reason behind replacing the full word that dates back to the ancient Greeks, and it is validated. It was never meant to disrespect the holiday or its origin.