The word "Christmas" is a contraction of
"Christ's Mass," which is derived from the Old English Cristes Mæsse. The letter
"X" is the first letter of Christ in Greek, and "Xmas" has
been used as an abbreviation for Christmas since the mid-1500s. The legend of
Santa Claus dates back to a real saint, Saint Nicholas of Myra, from around 300
A.D., but Christmas wasn't declared an actual holiday until 350 A.D. when Pope
Julius I proclaimed December 25 the official celebration for the birth of
Christ. It wasn't declared an official holiday in the United States until June
26, 1870.
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