Christmas or Christ mass (as the name comes from Roman Catholicism) is a widely observed holiday by Christians and non-Christians alike, albeit not always in the same way.

The term Xmas refers to the Christian holiday and should not be confused as a way to remove Christ from Christmas as the X is there to represent Christ. The English language X is the closest transliteration of the character in Greek used for the first letter of the name of Christ, Christos. Even with that knowledge in mind, I have to admit I personally prefer to see “Christ” in the name for the holiday as in our language it leaves no doubts for the reader who does not know this.

Moving forward – for celebraters of Christmas, the real reason for the season is in celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ who would go on later in life to die and bring salvation to those who put their faith in Him. This event was a miracle in itself as God became incarnate through a virgin woman. That sentence alone is packed with enough material to right several books and worth our meditation!

Since His birth, many traditions and practices have been born among man to celebrate this time of year (as well as those that predate the Christian holiday – from other beliefs). Regardless of the traditions we hold to at this time, we must remember that Christmas is ultimately about the birth of Christ and we should be careful to not allow our practices at this time to make us forget this fact. So, get together, exchange presents, and go about your typical Christmas practices. Just always remember that it is Christ who is at the center of the Christmas holiday and let that guide you in what do (or don’t do).