why is christmas xmas

Christmas is often shortened to "Xmas" because of the use of the Greek letter "Chi" which is written as an "X" in the English alphabet. The term "Xmas" was first used in the 16th century as a shorthand for "Christmas" and has been widely adopted ever since. It's important to note that some people still prefer to use the full word "Christmas" instead of "Xmas" to preserve the religious significance and respect the origins of the holiday.