why do people say xmas instead of christmas

Well, that's a very interesting question! The word "Xmas" is actually a shortened version of the word "Christmas." It's believed that this shortened version was first used in the 1500s by English printers, who wanted to save space when printing the word "Christmas" in their publications. Over time, the word "Xmas" became more commonly used, especially in the U.S. and the U.K. While some people consider it to be a disrespectful abbreviation, many others see it as a harmless way to save time and space.