This time of the year, Christmas greetings abound. It sure gives a warm feeling having been wished a Merry Christmas even though to some, those are just empty words said to others for the sake of that damned formality. Still, I trust that those who do wish me a Merry Christmas wish me well and from the heart.
To be frank though, I am greatly bothered by the greeting "Merry Xmas". In high school mathematics, x is probably the most popular variable. Remember "let x be any number from blah blah to blah..."? X then can be any number. Why use x instead of Christ? Where does Christ figure in His supposedly special day?
Since I have been reading a lot about mythology since my childhood days, I know that some scholars believe that the story of Jesus Christ is derived from the cult of Mithra, the sun god who himself died and was resurrected. Just happens that his birthdate is December 25. We know that the Catholic church incorporated many pagan stuffs into its system and this is one of it. (I have read somewhere that the true birthdate of Christ is around September. But it's just a speculation, and no real evidence has been established yet.)
But this I argue: as Christians, we believe in Christ. Otherwise we are not called as such. You may be a Catholic but bear in mind that Catholicism started from Christianity. Catholics believe in Christ, do they not? So if you believe in Christ, it follows that He is important in your life. Therefore, on His special day, one shouldn't replace His name with the variable X.
Next year, I hope to receive decent Christmas wishes, with Christ's name fully spelled out. If you're not a Christian, well, it's understandable if you don't use Christmas, but to make it sound better, just say "Happy Holidays".
for everyone
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