The war on Christmas

Yes, I’m for a war on “Xmas.” Not a war on Christmas, of course, but I don’t care for the lazy and demeaning use of Xmas to denote the birth of Jesus.

A learned friend (well, can you really be learned if you went to Florida State?) recently opined that Xmas wasn’t a problem because it means the birth of Christ in ancient Greek. First, I’m not in ancient Greece. Second, even Greeks don’t use the Xmas term. They use Χριστούγεννα, or “Christmas.”

Can one make the case for Xmas? It’s tortured, but yeah, it’s possible. I’m not really interested in writing a dissertation on the use of Xmas, so an abbreviated explanation follows. In the Greek language, the character “X” can refer to Christ, so Xmas would be Christ’s birth. The ‘X’ comes from the Greek letter Chi, which is pronounced like the letter “K,” followed by a vowel sounding like “eye,” thus, like “Kai,” which is the first letter of the Greek word Christós (Ancient Greek: Χριστός, romanized: Khristós, literally ’anointed, covered in oil’), which became Christ in English.

 The defenders of Xmas point out that its usage goes back to the Middle Ages, but so does the bubonic plague and I don’t hear anyone calling for its return. Lazy is lazy. Xmas may not technically be a war on Christmas, but it is to me. There isn’t a “Merry Xmas” greeting card or ornament ever being generated at the Gallaher-Burke household. 

Incidentally, I’ve never written about “AP style,” but I try to follow it, except when I don’t. My sister, Kathy, does my editing, mainly because I missed the day in school when the proper use of commas was discussed. For her, she relies on AP style, or technically, the Associated Press Stylebook. Sometimes she’ll tell me what AP style says about some aspect of my writing, and sometimes I’ll follow it. But not always. 

But the AP agrees with me. “Never abbreviate Christmas to Xmas or any other form.”

They go on to give additional journalistic advice. “Christmastime is one word.” “Capitalize Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.” “Lowercase seasonal greetings (except for Christmas): Have a happy new year, wishing you a merry Christmas, happy holidays from the team.”

So I’m wishing you a merry Christmas and a happy new year. 

Err, nope. I’m wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I’ve always capitalized that. Not going to change now. 

But I will never, ever, use Xmas.

Kelly Burke was born in Knoxville where he spent his younger years, followed by high school years in Atlanta where he graduated from Georgia Tech, and Mercer Law School. He has been in private practice, a magistrate judge, and an elected district attorney. He writes about the law, politics, music, and Ireland. He and his wife enjoy gardening, playing with their Lagotto Ramanolo named George Harrison, and spending time with their grandchildren. To see this column or Kelly’s archives, visit www.kellyrburke.com. You can email Kelly at dakellyburke@gmail.com.