Xmas or Christmas?

This time of year one hears so much against the word Xmas. People say don’t take Christ out of Christmas. While I agree that is a valid point, I don’t think that is the intent of the word. In Germany back in the 17th and 18th centuries, in old parish records, when a birth, christening, or death was recorded and a person had the word “Christ” as part of their name, many times the scribe would replace that part of the name with an X. The X was recognized as a symbol of Christ. It represented the cross upon which He was crucified. This I believe was done in an attempt to not take the Lord’s name in vain with too much repetition. In other words it was a sign of respect. So now when I think of the word Xmas I view it in a much different light. Not only is it keeping Christ in Christmas, but it ties in the resurrection and the Atonement of the Savior with the celebration of his birth. At least, that’s what it means to me.