MERRY Xmas!!!! I know...I know...It's not popular!! Actually...Truth be told...Xmas is despised and hated within the Christian community almost more than satan himself!! Even non-christians like myself (almost 6 years ago) do not use Xmas, partially due to social stigma...But mainly I didn't use Xmas because I felt like it was a good deed every time I did not (and Lord knows I needed all the credits I could get).
"Look God...Hope You're paying attention as I write out the entire word CHRIST (no...not gonna capitalize it, that makes me look like a spiritual weirdo)...I'm writing out Christ (much better) in Merry Christmas on all the Christmas Cards to my employee's for Christmas.". So with teeth gritted and knuckles white...cursing all the way...answering the phone every now and then to collect loan shark money or arrange drug drops/meets...I was keeping "Christ" in Christmas!!!
Then...When I became an actual Christian...It really meant something!! Man...That next Christmas I wrote cards to friends and family...I JOYFULLY wrote CHRIST every single time!! I do it today still!! I LOVE IT!! It's a celebration!!! Y'all think I use a ton of exclaimation points now??? Wooooooooooooooo!!! Nothing like writing "MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!"
I was so caught up in it that first year...naive little Christian that I was...That I was totally missing the all important, overwhelming, Christ-shadowing epidemic of "Xmas"....Dun. Dun. DUNNNN!!!! My eyes were opened to this movement of Anti-X Christian Activists...These christ followers who were hell bent of making sure no one EVER used Xmas!!! Their numbers were massive and their rally cry was catchy: "Keep Christ in Christmas!!"......I was appalled at their rough, rude, and crude tactics of pushing this holier-than-thou "I'm better than you for spelling out Christ instead of using X" stance on the public at large (still am)...As if the public at large was the greatest threat to the Church...Or as if the public at large had intentionally targeted them personally with a giant X!!
So I studied the origin of Xmas. Maybe I was wrong!! Maybe fighting for Christmas instead of Xmas WAS more important than actually celebrating Christ coming to Earth through loving each other unconditionally...Even for just a couple weeks of the year...Maybe we actually SHOULD be getting mad at people for wishing others to have a HAPPY HOLIDAY (how dare them!) or for doing something detestable like writing a nice letter of love and appreciation & signing it "Merry Xmas"!!
It took me about 20 minutes (mainly because I needed to verify all my facts) to find the answers I was lookiing for. Turns out that Xmas has been used for hundreds of years. The reason "X" is always capitalized is because of the extreme importance, prestige, and honor that it carries!! You see, "X" is the root word for Christ in the Greek (Χριστός) and actually "X" was a common substitution by church fathers such as Eusebius, Athanasius, St. Augustine, Spurgeon, Calvin, Luther, and many more. Oh...Also: "X" was the earliest form of the cross...Signifying calvary where Christ died for all sin!! (Yes ALL sin...Free Gift of Amazing Grace...But hey, let's not lump two things hated by large numbers of Christians together...I'll stay on point. :p)
SO...Not only does Xmas keep Christ in Christmas...It honors Him by actually capitalizing His name AND it refers to the cross where He gave the greatest gift ever...His life for ours!!! (John 15:13) By the way...Here's a list of MILLIONS of people (many profess to love Christ) refusing to keep the English/Greek word "Christ" in Christmas...In case any Anti-X Christian Activists reading this need more people to scorn!! :)
Afrikaans: Geseënde Kersfees
Afrikander: Een Plesierige Kerfees
African/ Eritrean/ Tigrinja: Rehus-Beal-Ledeats
Albanian:Gezur Krislinjden
Arabic: Milad Majid
Argentine: Feliz Navidad
Armenian: Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand
Azeri: Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun
Bahasa Malaysia: Selamat Hari Natal
Basque: Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!
Bengali: Shuvo Naba Barsha
Bohemian: Vesele Vanoce
Bosnian: (BOSANSKI) Cestit Bozic i Sretna Nova godina
Brazilian: Feliz Natal
Breton: Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat
Bulgarian: Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo
Catalan: Bon Nadal i un Bon Any Nou!
Chile: Feliz Navidad
Chinese: (Cantonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun
Chinese: (Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan
Choctaw: Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito
Columbia: Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo
Cornish: Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth
Corsian: Pace e salute
Crazanian: Rot Yikji Dol La Roo
Cree: Mitho Makosi Kesikansi
Croatian: Sretan Bozic
Czech: Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok
Danish: Glædelig Jul
Duri: Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak
Dutch: Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! or Zalig Kerstfeast
Eskimo: (inupik) Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo!
Esperanto: Gajan Kristnaskon
Estonian: Rõõmsaid Jõulupühi
Ethiopian: (Amharic) Melkin Yelidet Beaal
Faeroese: Gledhilig jol og eydnurikt nyggjar!
Farsi: Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad
Finnish: Hyvaa joulua
Flemish: Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar
French: Joyeux Noel
Frisian: Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier!
Galician: Bo Nada
Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr!
German: Fröhliche Weihnachten
Haiti: (Creole) Jwaye Nowel or to Jesus Edo Bri'cho o Rish D'Shato Brichto
Hausa: Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!
Hawaiian: Mele Kalikimaka
Hebrew: Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova
Hungarian: Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket
Icelandic: Gledileg Jol
Indonesian: Selamat Hari Natal
Iraqi: Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
Irish: Nollaig Shona Dhuit, or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat
Iroquois: Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut. Ojenyunyat osrasay.
Italian: Buone Feste Natalizie
Japanese: Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
Jiberish: Mithag Crithagsigathmithags
Korean: Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Lao: souksan van Christmas
Latin: Natale hilare et Annum Faustum!
Latvian: Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu!
Lausitzian:Wjesole hody a strowe nowe leto
Lettish: Priecigus Ziemassvetkus
Lithuanian: Linksmu Kaledu
Low Saxon: Heughliche Winachten un 'n moi Nijaar
Luxembourgish: Schèine Chreschtdaag an e gudde Rutsch
Macedonian: Sreken Bozhik
Maltese: IL-Milied It-tajjeb
Manx: Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa
Maori: Meri Kirihimete
Navajo: Merry Keshmish
Norwegian: God Jul, or Gledelig Jul
Occitan: Pulit nadal e bona annado
Papiamento: Bon Pasco
Papua New Guinea: Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu
Pennsylvania German: En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr!
Peru: Feliz Navidad y un Venturoso Año Nuevo
Philippines: Maligayang Pasko!
Polish: Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie
Portuguese:Feliz Natal
Pushto: Christmas Aao Ne-way Kaal Mo Mobarak Sha
Rapa-Nui (Easter Island): Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua
Rhetian: Bellas festas da nadal e bun onn
Romanche: (sursilvan dialect): Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn!
Rumanian: Sarbatori vesele or Craciun fericit
Russian: Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom
Sami: Buorrit Juovllat
Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou
Sardinian: Bonu nadale e prosperu annu nou
Scots Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil huibh
Serbian: Hristos se rodi.
Singhalese: Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa
Slovak: Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok
Slovene: Vesele Bozicne Praznike Srecno Novo Leto or Vesel Bozic in srecno Novo leto
Spanish: Feliz Navidad
Swedish: God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År
Tagalog: Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon
Trukeese: (Micronesian) Neekiriisimas annim oo iyer seefe feyiyeech!
Thai: Sawadee Pee Mai or souksan wan Christmas
Turkish: Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Ukrainian: Srozhdestvom Kristovym or Z RIZDVOM HRYSTOVYM
Urdu: Naya Saal Mubarak Ho (good New Year not Merry Christmas)
Vietnamese: Chuc Mung Giang Sinh
Welsh: Nadolig Llawen
Yoruba: E ku odun, e ku iye'dun!
As for me...I'll keep on saying, writing, emailing, txting, shouting, etc: Merry CHRISTMAS!! Not out of obligation to social stigma or some white-knuckled law-driven practice, but because I simply LOVE that God loved us first and in such an enormous way that He sent His son to die so that we could live eternally with Him!! THAT IS JESUS...THAT IS GOD'S AMAZING GRACE!!!!!
So...Keep Jesus Christ in Christmas by showing the same underserving and completely overwhelming vehement GRACE that you have been given...to those around you...Your neighbors...Unconditionally!!
"Love one another." -Jesus
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