Xmas is a short way of writing Christmas. You see it on shop signs, on price labels ("Xmas sale"), on cards, in headlines, and in text messages — anywhere space is tight. It is written much more than it is said; most people read it aloud as "Christmas". Some people do say /ˈeksməs/ out loud, but that sounds joking or a bit cheap, and it is safer for a student not to say it that way.

Xmas是Christmas的簡寫寫法。 You see it on shop signs, on price labels ("Xmas sale"), on cards, in headlines, and in text messages你會在店家招牌、價格標籤（像"Xmas sale"）、卡片、標題、簡訊裡看到它—— anywhere space is tight只要是空間有限的地方都會出現。 It is written much more than it is said它主要是用寫的，很少用唸的； most people read it aloud as "Christmas"大部分人唸出來還是會說"Christmas"。 Some people do say /ˈeksməs/ out loud確實有人會把它唸成/ˈeksməs/， but that sounds joking or a bit cheap但聽起來像在開玩笑、有點廉價感， and it is safer for a student not to say it that way學生最好不要這樣唸比較保險。

The X is not the English letter X used as a cross-out or an unknown thing. It is the Greek letter chi, the first letter of Χριστός (Christos), so X has stood for "Christ" in church writing for about a thousand years. Because most people today do not know this, some Christians dislike Xmas and feel it "takes Christ out of Christmas" — you will meet this opinion, and it is worth knowing even though the history goes the other way.

The X is not the English letter X used as a cross-out or an unknown thing這裡的X不是英文字母X、用來表示劃掉或未知數的那個X。 It is the Greek letter chi它其實是希臘字母chi， the first letter of Χριστός (Christos)也就是Χριστός（Christos）的第一個字母， so X has stood for "Christ" in church writing for about a thousand years所以在教會文獻裡X代表"Christ"已經有上千年的歷史。 Because most people today do not know this因為現在大部分人不知道這段歷史， some Christians dislike Xmas and feel it "takes Christ out of Christmas"有些基督徒不喜歡Xmas，覺得這樣寫"takes Christ out of Christmas"（把基督從聖誕節裡拿掉了）—— you will meet this opinion, and it is worth knowing你會遇到這種說法，值得知道， even though the history goes the other way雖然歷史其實剛好相反。

Register: fine on a poster, a sign, a shop window, a quick note. Not fine in an essay, a formal letter, or anything careful — there you write Christmas in full.

Register語域上： fine on a poster, a sign, a shop window, a quick note用在海報、招牌、櫥窗、隨手寫的短訊都沒問題。 Not fine in an essay, a formal letter, or anything careful但在作文、正式信件，或任何講究一點的場合就不適合——there you write Christmas in full這種時候要把Christmas完整寫出來。

Xmas takes the same words around it as Christmas: Xmas Day, Xmas Eve, Xmas tree, Xmas party. There is no apostrophe (X'mas is common on signs in Taiwan and Japan, but English writers do not use it).

Xmas takes the same words around it as ChristmasXmas後面接的字跟Christmas一樣：Xmas Day, Xmas Eve, Xmas tree, Xmas party像Xmas Day、Xmas Eve、Xmas tree、Xmas party這樣。 There is no apostrophe這裡沒有撇號（X'mas is common on signs in Taiwan and Japan台灣和日本的招牌上常看到X'mas這種寫法， but English writers do not use it但英文母語者不會這樣寫）。