The only taboos against using the word X'mas are stylistic, I guess :-) FN QUOTE
The "-mas" part came from the Latin-derived Old English word for "mass". The "X" in Xmas is from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of Χριστός, Christ in Greek (see below). "Xmas" is frowned upon in modern guides for writing styles. Style guides at the New York Times, The Times, The Guardian and the BBC all rule out its use, where possible. Millicent Fenwick, in the 1948 Vogue's Book of Etiquette states that "'Xmas' should never be used" in greeting cards. The Cambridge Guide to Australian English Usage states that the spelling should be considered informal and restricted to contexts where concision is valued, such as headlines and greeting cards. The Christian Writer's Manual of Style, while acknowledging the ancient and respectful use of "Xmas" in the past, states that the spelling should never be used in formal writing. END QUOTE http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas 2009/12/1 Michael Ali <mikeal...@aol.com>: > Dear Marcos, > > The 'X' in X'mas stands for the first letter for Christ in the Greek > language and NOTHING else. > > Warm regards, > > Mike > -- Frederick Noronha :: +91-832-2409490 ANOTHER GOA: http://tiny.cc/anothergoa Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fredericknoronha Writing, editing, alt.publishing, photography, journalism