I'm OK with that. There are holiday moments when it's actually more appropriate to use the Xmas form of Christmas. Not only is it easier to spell (a genuine plus in Utah) but it's much more accurate to boot. When it comes to certain aspects of Christmas celebration, you couldn't get more X-like if you were the devil and hung over.
Except for Jehovah's Witnesses, every faith has religious holidays. The Jews celebrate Hanukkah by lighting the menorah and feasting. Druids do something obscure and disturbing during the Spring Equinox. Buddhists celebrate Tet by . . . I don't know, probably something Bhuddist. Shamefully, Christians celebrate Christmas by shopping their brains out. I have never been able to reconcile modern Xmas shopping with the birth of Christ, especially considering how down the Savior was on people profiting from holy events. Given our behavior during Christmas, we're lucky He doesn't come back down here and whack us around like he did the money changers in the temple. After all, Christmas shopping is about as spiritual as Ed McMahon hosting the manger scene. "Heeeere's Joseph!"

In fairness, you could say that X-ians shop on Xmas in an effort to be more X-like. Nearly all of the stuff we buy is for other people who, if tradition is adhered to, should be getting something for us. Most of what we spend on the Prince of Peace's birthday doesn't go to him or his favorite folks -- needy people. Mostly, we give to close relatives, the boss, neighbors, friends we haven't seen since we went through puberty together, postal workers and even the dog.

So, if Christmas really is the celebration of Christ's birth, how come everyone else but Christ benefits from it? Wouldn't it be more spiritual if we didn't max out our credit cards this year? Wouldn't God like it better if we stayed home and kept it simple this year? The act of shopping is anything but spiritual. I figured this out years ago when I stood in the gift wrapping line at ZCMI, right behind some lady who had a full-blown, safety-off, turbo-charged fit because the gal doing the wrapping had run out of candy-cane paper. Worse is driving around looking for a parking place. Nothing, and I mean nothing, makes you hate Xmas more than looking for a parking spot in the snow while pedestrians jaywalk in front of you, blithely assuming that you haven't become so Xmas cheerless that you will run over them. You can bet the three wise men didn't have a parking problem.

Then there's scrambling around for last-minute gifts. I once spent an entire Xmas eve looking for a kitchen gizmo to give to a distant cousin I hadn't seen in years and haven't seen since. I'm still looking for a Barbie Big Wheel for Xmas '82. I'd have better luck locating frankincense. I'm going to get in trouble with my wife, mom and ecclesiastical leaders if I don't stop substituting X for Christ. They're right. It's not very appropriate.

Only 28 more shopping days 'til $mas.

-----