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12.19.2011

Deconstructing December: Turns Out X-mas is Not a Marvel Superhero

Year in and year out many of us who celebrate Christmas will run into some crotchety old folks who will take us away from our eggnog induced mistletoe lingering to impart upon us a misguided rant (quite literally) for the love of Christ. Well to those surly few, we may return a chortle of superiority, for we, dear friends, now have the means to thwart their self-righteous rage. Requiring only the slightest bit of Googling, we will quickly ascertain that "X" is actually Greek.

"Aha," we will say, "it is the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the word Χριστος, which of course means Christ." Then with a charitable snark, we will point out that the "XP" symbol hanging from the church tree is also a common Greek abbreviation for Christ, combining the first two letters, Chi and Rho. "And," we will claim quite pleased with ourselves, "evidence suggests that the aptly named Chi-Rho has been used as far back as the 300's CE." To which they may or may not take issue, asserting that AD is a more apropos. "Well," we will retort, "that is a discussion for another time." With that we will pat their backs, toast the evening and return to the saving grace (pun intended) of the holidays, eggnog.


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This article appears as part of a series. Visit Deconstructing December to see more.

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