When I was young, I always wonder what exactly is ‘Xmas’. Yeah, we all know it stands for the celebration on 25th December but why Xmas instead of the actual spelling of… Christmas? Do you all know why? Are you all curious?From what I understand, the ‘x’ in the Xmas equation is akin to the ‘x’ in algebra. It simply means the ‘x’ in the Xmas equation can be anything you want it to be. Yes, if you think Xmas is the short-form of Christmas, you're wrong...
Christmas is spelt as “Christ”-mas because it is the date of the birth of Jesus Christ, which made 25th December a religious festival. Christ is the centre of it all. But the world has commercialised the day so extravagantly that it became nothing more than a season to let loose ourselves to shop, eat and party.
Therefore, Xmas to you can be shoppingmas, or perhaps feastmas, or to some… holidaymas. That is what the world wants Christmas to be. But yet, amidst it all, Christmas is the most unique religious celebration of all. Why? That’s probably a discussion for another day.
Today, I want to say that Christ is still the X for my Xmas… it is still Christmas to me. And I want to wish all Christian readers a very Blessed Christmas.
What the ‘X’ for your Xmas?
79 comments:
hmm..my X is...the X-factor element when celebrating Xmas! Lolz...Ok, I crapped tat out..=P
But anyway, wud like to wish u a merry merry Xmas and have a happy happy New Year! =D
X = work
Thus, WorkMas..
Merry christmas.. :)
Thanks for bringing Christ back into Christmas! Have a Peaceful one!
It's unique because it's the most commercialized religious celebration celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike?
Merry Christmas to you!
Merry Christmas and a very happy New year to you :D
X =
1. Christ as our Godhead
2. The amount of $$ I'll be spending for Christmas pressies.
3. The pressies I'll be getting for Christmas (quite an unknown; it can range from many to zero)
4. The amount on my credit card bill to pay off due to the pressies I bought.
5. The shape of my eyes when I see that bill.
A blessed Christmas to you and Jules :)
Tine
ah, is that what the X is for? I thought it was just a short form of Christmas.
Happy Christmas and Merry New Year to you, zewt!
i wan HOLIDAYmas! SLEEPMAS!!! =P heheh
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!
Christmas to me is primarily about Christ... then come the feasting and pressies. Hehehe.
Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year, zewt.
p.s. I was at 1Utama over the weekend (Saturday to be exact) and didn't see any guy with a guitar? Lawl.
i've always thought x was just to cut the word christmas short. didn't know there was a deeper meaning. nice interpretation. to each his own. merry christmas, zewt. and a happy new year.
Merry xmas, zewt, and a happy new year.
Tis a season to be jolly....
The True Meaning of Christmas
Following is a lovely story about Santa explaining the symbols of Christmas - Teach the Children.
- I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree. He placed his finger over his mouth so I would not cry out."
"What are you doing?" I started to ask. The words choked up in my throat, and I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone. Gone was the eager, boisterous character we all know.
He then answered me with a simple statement.
"TEACH THE CHILDREN!"
I was puzzled; what did he mean? He guessed my question, and with one quick movement pulled a miniature toy bag from behind the tree.
As I stood puzzled, Santa said,
"Teach the children! Teach them the old meaning of Christmas. The meaning that now-a-days Christmas has forgotten."
Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE and placed it in front of the fire place...
"Teach the children that the pure green colour of the stately fir tree remains green all year round, representing the everlasting hope of mankind, all the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man's thoughts turning toward heaven."
He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR...
"Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a Saviour for the world, and the star was the sign of fulfillment of His promise."
He then reached into his bag and pulled out a CANDLE...
"Teach the children that the candle symbolises that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of Jesus who fills our lives with light."
Once again he reached into his bag and removed a WREATH and placed it on the tree.
"Teach the children that the wreath symbolises the real nature of love. Real love never ceases, like Gods love which has no beginning or end."
He then pulled from his bag an ornament of HIMSELF.
"Teach the children that I, Santa Clause symbolise the generosity and kindness we feel during the month of December."
He then brought out a HOLLY LEAF.
"Teach the children that the holly plant represents immortality. It represents the crown of thorns worn by our Saviour. The red holly represents the blood shed by Him."
Next he pulled from his bag a GIFT
and said,
"Teach the children that God so loved the world that HE gave us HIS only SON... We thank God for his very special gift."
"Teach the children that the wise men bowed before the Holy Baby and gave HIM gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. We should always give gifts in the same spirit of the wise men."
Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a CANDY CANE and hung it on the tree.
"Teach the children that the candy cane represents the shepherd's crook. The crook on the staff helps to bring back lost sheep to the flock."
He reached in again and pulled out an ANGEL.
"Teach the children that it was the angels that announced the glorious news of the Saviour's birth. The angels sang 'Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace and good will toward men."
Suddenly, I heard a soft tinkling sound, and from his bag he pulled out a BELL.
"Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring to guide us to God. The bell symbolises guidance and return. It reminds us that we are all precious in the eyes of God."
Santa looked back and was pleased. I saw the twinkle in his eyes as he said:
"Remember, teach the children the true meaning of Christmas and do not put me in the centre, for I am but an humble servant of the One that is, and I bow down to worship HIM, our LORD, our GOD."
~ Author Unknown ~
Zewt & family,
"Merry Christmas & Happy New Year"
missironic - X factor? wat is it? :P... thanks for the wishes.
Acute Critique - wah... not that bad right? you deserve a break.
svllee - I think we all have a role to play in that :)
kyh - yup.. and i don want to spoil the Christmas mood until after it... then i shall talk about it.
Firehorse - thanks for the wishes :)
Tine - Thanks Tine... a Blessed one to you and Tim too!
may - no ler... now you know... :)
Huei - sleepmas? hahahaha... pigmas la u... thanks for the wishes.
rinnah - i was in MPH. thanks for the wishes.
me - now you know... it was also very englightening to me.
Manal - thanks manal.
beeranyone - Amen to that story brother... i love it! Blessed Christmas to you... have all the beer you want :)
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
My X factor is probably Booze-mas! Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas to you, Zewt! Have a good one.
merry christmas :)
Merry Christmas to you to Zewt..Man those watermelon frost are not working like they have to be on my ulcers.!!!
Merry Blessed Christmas mate!!
Definitely Christmas is about our Lord Jesus Christ... ;-)
Anyway, consumerism is really eating into this very special day... It's not about the eating or presents...
It's about giving of one's heart and receiving Christ's light and hope to be closer to Him.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
to me X = the one night i sleep really early coz i have nothing to do
so..
Happy "The One Night I Sleep Early Coz I Have Nothing To Do" mas.
erinalaw - same to you erina...
gina - hahahaha... kaki botol la...
liyiesther.C - thanks...
pookyma - put more... put before you sleep la... always work.
Angie Tan - yup... let us put our Lord back to the rightful throne this Christmas! :)
Benjamin - sleep early = no fun... :) enjoy!
X-mas to me is hornyday! No need to work!
X to me is pokeing! Pokeing to me is love! Don't christen preach on love?? So I put it into practice!
Have a marry & happy x-mas!
Ssup zewt.
Just dropping by to wish u a Merry Xmas and a very happy new year :)
Wish you and the family all the best for the coming 2008. :)
Merry Christmas~!!!
Merry X’mas and a Happy New Year 2008. May this year and many years to come be filled with peace, love, joy, health and wealth :)
Merry Christmas to u & ur family zewt!
Merry X'mas, Zewt.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Zewt!
hmm..tat sumting 'extra' or 'unique' which is very special and extraordinary...tats my version of X-factor..;)
u're welcome..enjoy ur xmas! :D
Merry Christmas Zewt!
Merry Christmas Zewt!
May the next year 2008 bring you much love and laughter.
May you be blessed with all good things and have a great new year ^^
er....paiseh...the CPA above is actually me =p Sorry yea, was using my accounting account and din realise I forgot to sign out..hehe ^^
i discovered recently that Russian Christians celebrate Xmas on the 7th January becos he was born on this date based on Julian Calender. Later, when the West adopted Gregorian calendar, they changed it to 25 December. No matter who's correct in the actual day celebration, Merry Xmas!!
Merry Moneymas!
Oops... that's my 'X'... :P
Long time ago in Bethlehem, God filled the earth with hope so real, joy so pure, and love so true. Our hearts still rejoice.. Wishing you all the gifts Christ was born to bring. Merry Christmas and Appy New Ear.. :)
merry xmas. have a good one. :)
x is christ for me! kekeke...
merry christmas! may u grow in higher heights with God in the coming year!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS ZEWT!
NICE KNOWING YOU... EVEN JUST IN THIS CYBER WORLD AND THROUGH YOUR BLOG :-)
Merry Xmas, Zewt :D
well.. I'm just lazy to type long long so I just use the X instead (forgive me Jesus Christ @__@)
But yea Christmas now has lost its meaning.
Summore, Santa Claus?
In the future I dont wanna teach my kids that Santa doesn't exist, while in school there's a celebration focusing on that beer-belly-white-beard dude.
Love your post Zewt!
Happy Holiday and all the best in the year coming :D
Blessed Christmas to you too. May you be continously blessed by the abundance of love and peace in the presence of those who means the most to you. =)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nativity_of_Jesus
Knowledge is power.....
-bryan-
the actual date of birth of christ is during july/aug period, not december. it is merely instituted to replace the pagan winter solstice celebration held during that period.
as for -bryan- reference on the nativity, one can read on this as well on the harmonisation between matthew and luke.
http://www.tektonics.org/af/birthnarr.html
" Christmas is the most unique religious celebration of all. Why? "
Because all its traditions and even the date are truly pagan by origin ! Nothing to do with Christianity at all !
There is not a single mention in the Bible that Jesus was born on the 25th Dec, in fact many verses emphasize that he was actually born in April ! ( not July or Aug ! ) I watched that in the Discovery Channel once ! Besides, Jesus never asked to celebrate his birth either !
And also, on this matter, interestingly, a statute passed in 1660 A.D. by the Massachusetts Bay Colony in New England, USA, prohibiting the observance of Christmas, declared: ‘Public Notice--the observation of Christmas having been deemed a sacrilege, the exchanging of gifts and greetings, dressing in fine clothing, feasting and similar Satanical practices are hereby forbidden with the offender liable to a fine of five shillings.’
Further reading :
http://www.garnertedarmstrong.ws/christmas2.shtml
" Jeremiah 10:2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. "
Knowing all these,
it is so obvious that the Herds are currently lost, far away from their Sheppard, waiting for the Wolves to finish them all !
How pity ...
Merry X-rated Christmas, Zext!
MuaHo Ho Ho!
X = lepak with friends
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to you, zewt!
Merry Christmas to you all. I don't like the X factor which I had thought of as an abbreviation too.
I'm saddened that the Christmas celebration in the US is more secular than I had ever imagined. Some Christian parents even lie about Santa to their kids. To be politically correct, office greetings and cards have turned into "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas."
I have also published a short post about Christmas.
Hey, just thought I drop by and say... Merry Christmas to you!
merry xmas zewt!!! *hugz*
dear santa,
my mistake. it is not july/aug but there are others who speculate it is not in april either.
per the articles below, it is stated that it would be during sept/oct period, not during apr.
http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/was-jesus-born-on-december-25-faq.htm
http://www.new-life.net/chrtms10.htm
as for jeremiah 10:2, your rather wide encompassing application of this verse to pronounce the sheep is lost is quite misplaced. please note that the Lord is warning the people to not follow the ways of the pagan in creating and worshipping idols as well as their religious practices in terms of seeking answers from occults and witchcraft. this is clearly the case as you read on the following verses in jeremiah 10.
if the pagan invented combs and toothbrushes to use it for their daily needs and perhaps in their worship as well, would one use this verse to prohibit the jews and christians to also not use combs and toothbrushes?
similarly, if the non-christians celebrate their own festivals and practice their unique greetings like selamat hari raya aidilfitri, maaf zahir dan batin or happy divali/deepavali, may you rejoice in this festival of lights, would you not wish or celebrate simply because they are non-christian / pagan origin?
i believe we should always remember 1 corinthians 10:23-24 in our conduct.
Hey Merry Merry Christmas to you and your love ones! May warm and wonderful christmas happen to you. Hey drop by at my new blog when you're free. www.fionaths.yuinyin.com
MERRY BLESSED CHRISTMAS ZEWT AND A BEAUTIFUL WONDERFUL NEW YEAR! oh, and happy boxing dayyy!!
hor ny ang moh - hahaha... i just knew you will say that.
LaSh - thank you sir for your well wishes. same goes to you.
Sam - same to you sam.
CRIZ LAI - thanks criz. very good wishes you have there.
Wuching - thanks wuching.
Maverick SM - Merry Christmas to you too.
Bernard - thanks doc.
wow..I didn't know that, zewt. I'd always thought the x in xmas is just an abbreviation of some sort for christmas! hahah...anyway, here's a delayed merry XMAS wish from me! :p
missironic - i see... as long as it is not x-rated haha!
Theodwyn - thanks, congrats on your scholarship.
CPA aka water_angel - thanks for the well wishes. may 2008 be a good year for you too. no worries on the differing account :)
Mike - that is very interesting. i think i will need to read about it.
angel - hahahaha... i also want that. but Christ still comes first.
Rashikaps - thanks Rashi... are you a Christian?
alan zed - thanks lan... u have a good one too.
lynnwei - that's good... yeah, i think i really need to grow in Him again... been stuck.
deOughtred - hey... how have you been? nice knowing you too!
Cen Ni - hi there... welcome to AZAIG. you mean you wanna teach that Santa doesnt exist? hehe... thanks for dropping by and glad that you like my writings... all the best to you in 2008 too.
Suit Lin - thanks... and may God shower you with loads of favour too...
anon aka bryan - let me check it out later. yes, knowledge is power.
myop101 - i guess this is why the following comment came in...
Satan Claus - for a while, i tried to understand where you are coming from. anyway, the herds are definitely far away from the shepperd... but the thing is... the shepperd never give up... He is still looking at the sheep... that is the important thing.
Cocka Doodle - hahaha... that is so cocka.
u-jean - hey there and welcome to AZAIG... lepak huh... you can do that anytime :)
Jonzz - thanks Jonzz... same goes to you.
JesieBlogJourney - hi there and welcome to AZAIG. yeah... even Christians told me that Christmas is nothing more than a holiday to them. If Christians dont even play the role of living the true meaning of Christmas... then... sigh...
Alecia CM - hey!! thanks.
SuLee - aiyoo... Xmas again meh... :P
annoyingangelz - sure... will drop by :)....
Ehon - hahaha... loads of presents?
Supergirlfriend - delayed better than nothing... and you're enlightened today :)
merry christmas dude. Although... i am a day behind!
merry christmas bro! hmm, you read the issue on the herald vs internal security minister? sad heh?
Hi All,
I dont celebrate Christmas but I would like to wish you all a merry christmas albeit a belated one.
Have a good life
huh? oh ok..
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Zewt!
hey zewt, merry belated christmas to you! and eh, happy boxing day to you for today! :) btw, i read about this Xmas instead of Christmas somewhere...
here's the link:
http://onabentofrenzy.blogspot.com/2007/11/to-x-out-christ-from-christ-mas.html
do check it out when u have time. :) According to that, Xmas is not just ppl wanting however -mas they want but it's literally crossing out CHRIST from Christmas. Hmm.. What do you think of it eh?
Honestly, when i was done reading that, I feel weirded out when ppl wish me "happy xmas" though my family doesn't celebrate it. lol.
I thought it was a kind of cross "X" that represents Christ. But yeah, I really learned something new. It could be some conspiracy to cross out Christ from Christmas and it could be the algebra X. Or the X of anything -mas.
now i understand why the comment on my blog.
so here's my justification, my x is a cross(Jesus died on the cross?) rather than a representation of something known/unknown. =D
F.O.N @ frostee - no worries mate.
bongkersz - the one on the use of god's name?
warrior2 - hey... welcome and thanks for the wishes.
SuLee - :)... kidding.
ardy - thanks bro.
SWei - actually.. that's what i meant... that's why i said... it's meant to replace Christ in Christmas with anything. i will read that post.
Joshua3 - yup... you got that right... to replace Christ... which we should not do.
rachel - well... i would rather keep it as Christmas.
hello zewt!! i just came back from phuket last nite. a lil' late for xmas wish, but happy new yr in advance! ;p hope u enjoyed ur xmas :)
No, I'm not a Christian.. but a follower .. yes
Blessed Christmas and a blessed new year to you :)
And I wish you a very Happy New Year 2008. Hope you have a great year ahead.
beeranyone, I got that email forwarded to me some time back & i'm gonna put it on my blog as a reminder to myself - wat's the true meaning of Christmas! Hope u dont mind...
zewt - merry Christmas & happy 2008!
haha..my fren just old me the difference between Xmas vs Christmas to me. Then the next day I read it on your blog.
I banned all advertisement of my hotel from using XMAS. It just didnt sound right to me...
Xmas to me is lazy people who doesnt want to write long or type long... so they jst X-it.
Also, Christ is a forbidden word that we have to "X" it?
Ei, being a Christian, what do you think about the Da Vinci Code? Care to blog about it?
Hey...a little late but merry christmas..=) And happy new year. I'm pretty sure it will be an exciting year for you..esp with your wife! hehe..
Jun - wow... nice holiday eh? thanks for the wishes...
Rashikaps - and i am confused... :)
doulos - thanks. hope everything is well in cardiff.
mumsgather - thanks :)
sharlydia - i am sure he wouldnt mind.
Nonstop - hello... welcome! maybe your friend read it from here :P
bensiu - wahh... that one old story lor... i take that as a fiction... it's too fake la...
AngryYoungChild - hehe... yeah, it will be since london trip is coming soon!
I thought X is the first letter from the word Christ in Greek.. that's what I heard from my carolling team.
lynnx01 - well, i am not too sure about that but i guess it' possible.
Hi zewt!Thanks for your well wishes. Blessed 2008 to you! :)
lilsnooze - hi... no worries... have a good one.
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