Xmas!!??!!

OK, so at some point you have probably seen a sign or heard the phrase "Keep Christ in Christmas." It is a thought that I find poignant and important this time of year. It is so easy to get carried away and distracted from what this season really means. Often, however, I think that this sentiment has been reduced in our minds to simply refusing to use the term Xmas and insist on always saying and spelling, in full, the term Christmas...to keep the Christ in Christmas. Ironically there is some evidence to suggest that Xmas is actually a Christian term. In Greek (the language of the New Testament), the letter X (chi) is the first letter in the word for Christ. When translating from Greek to English we often use the letters ch where a Greek X would be, and we see this in the title "Christ". So X, being the initial for the title, quite probably developed into a symbol for Christ and thus eventually Xmas would come to symbolize Christmas. In the beginning it may not have "X"-ed out Christ at all but was a symbol reflecting the title. Now certainly today many ignorantly use it to avoid a direct reference to Christ, or just out of sheer laziness but at the end of the day is a full spelling of Christmas on a sign for a Christmas tree lot really going to ensure that Jesus is at the centre of everyone's celebrations this season? Probably not.
So, what are some ways that you are aiming to keep Jesus at the heart of this season? I would love to hear from people and have some examples of how we might practically place our faith, and yes even the theological truth of the season, at the forefront of our hearts and minds.
Here is one suggestion that I have...
Being the music guy at our church, I have been working on arrangements of some of the traditional Christmas carols. I am always struck at the theology that they manage to convey...some amazing thoughts and truths. We have been working on "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" recently and the line "Mild He lays his glories by, Born that man no more may die..." has grabbed my attention. We worked up an arrangement that would specifically highlight that line. "Mild He lays his glories by" may be the understatement of the year (or century or millenia...), but what a reminder of the mind-blowing reality of Jesus - God the Son, divine - leaving the glories of heaven behind to enter our reality. And the next phrase jumps right to the heart of the Christian message and hope, the cross and resurrection, reminding us of why Jesus came. There are other great lines too, like "God and sinner reconciled". AMAZING. So my suggestion is to read some of those old songs slowly and focus on what they communicate. If they leave you with some questions to go ask and dig and search for answers. An increased depth of the meaning of this season can only help us to celebrate more fully, worship more deeply and truly keep Jesus at the centre of all we do.
So how about you, what are some things that you can suggest. I would love to hear about them so leave a comment!