The majolica turkey tureens, an exclusive for Marshall Field & Co.`s Christmas catalogue, were turning into a real headache. Every time the $150 ”ceramic serveware with a sense of humor” was shipped, ... Xmas (also X-mas) is a common abbreviation of the word Christmas.

Understanding the Context

It is sometimes pronounced / ˈɛksməs /, but Xmas, and variants such as Xtemass, originated as handwriting abbreviations for the typical pronunciation / ˈkrɪsməs /. But what about ‘ Xmas ’? Lots of people think this is just a modern-day abbreviation – but it actually dates back to the 16th century! The ‘X’ is said to represent the Greek letter ‘Chi’ – the first letter in the Greek word for Christ, Χριστός (pronounced ‘ Christos’).

Key Insights

With the festive season upon us, retailers are ramping up their marketing sales campaigns through the power of catalogues. B&T takes a closer look at how some of the biggest brands are doing just that ... Argos has centred its Christmas advertising campaign around its catalogue for the first time in a decade. The ad centres around a father who, while flipping through the Argos Christmas catalogue, sees ...