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© Copyright 2001, Jim Loy
Christmas, that's Santa Claus' birthday, isn't it? No it's Jesus' birthday, except that he was born in the spring (very likely, because that is when shepherds tend their flocks). So Christmas is merely the day when we celebrate Jesus' birth.
Occasionally, we still see Christmas abbreviated as "Xmas," although I think it is going out of style. People object that Xmas "takes Christ out of Christmas." But X (chi) is merely the first letter of "Christ" (Christos) in Greek. Xmas is a simple abbreviation for Christmas, which has been used since the 16th century.
So Xmas does not leave out Jesus. But we probably don't want to abbreviate his name anymore. So let's celebrate Christmas by getting lots of toys from Santa Claus. Hmm?