It has long seemed a lazy abbreviation that removes Christ, the reason for the season, from Christmas.
Rampant commercialisation may be a fait accompli, and New Zealand is largely secular. But surely the name of the day need not suffer the indignity of being mangled and stripped of its foundational meaning.
One United States evangelist went so far as to describe the term as "a war against the name of Jesus Christ".
Beware hasty judgements, however. A bout of ignorant bluster was imminent until Civis prudently paused for a little "googling".
There is a long tradition of Christians using X as an abbreviation for Christ, a practice that evolved from Greek and from the early church’s fondness for symbolic shorthand.
The "X" derives from chi, the first letter of the Greek word Christos, written in ancient Greek script as X.
Wikipedia notes that a form of "Xmas" dates back to the 16th century, aligning with Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran and Anglican use of the chi-rho monogram. The specific spelling "Xmas" appears in print from 1721.
"Xtianity" for Christianity appears from 1634, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. And Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage says most evidence for these words comes from "educated Englishmen who knew their Greek".
Civis doubts that many retailers, headline writers or senders of Christmas greetings are versed in ancient Greek.
In today’s world of Santa Claus and Mariah Carey, few pause to consider Xmas versus Christmas. Stubbornly, regardless of the term’s venerable origins, Civis still prefers Christmas.
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Is the increasingly common use of the word "store" in place of "shop" yet another example of the United States’ linguistic influence?
In Civis’ view, the answer is both yes and no.
The issue crossed Civis’ mind last week when discussing Ikea and Costco. They are so vast that either word feels almost redundant. Traditionally, British English has reserved "store" for large enterprises and the classic department store, such as Arthur Barnett.
Yet, the part of a building where goods are sold has usually been called a shop, and small or mid-sized enterprises were also considered shops.
This is where the US use of "store" is steadily overtaking "shop". Civis would be quixotic to resist.
These days, one might even hear: "Are there any stores near here?" rather than "Are there any shops?"
In United States English, a "shop" typically refers only to a very small outlet selling a single type of product.
Surely, though, it remains "Mum has gone to the shop", not "Mom has gone to the store".
* * * * *
Civis wondered, yet again, whether Civis was out of touch after being confronted with a headline about an aesthetician.
Forced to look up the word, Civis discovered it refers to a skincare specialist or facialist working in a cosmetic or salon. This is, of course, right up Civis’ alley — not.
The link to "aesthetic" is obvious. Once you notice the word, it begins appearing everywhere. Only a couple of days ago, Civis read that Gen Z and Gen Alpha have been using "aesthetic" as both an adjective and a one-word compliment on social media for several years.
It is no surprise the ancient Greeks are to blame once more; the word "aesthetic" originates with them.
Civis wishes all readers a Meri Kirihimete. And because te reo lacks the letter X, there is no temptation to shorten this form of the season’s greeting.
