It’s the season to be jolly, tra la la la la tra la la la.  There are many myths surrounding the festive season, so let us dispel some of them.

Myth: Writing ‘Xmas’ is a modern thing.  People will tell you that using the short version, Xmas as opposed to Christmas, “takes Christ out of Christmas”. The first letter of ‘Christ’ in Greek translates to ‘X’, as it also does in the Roman alphabet.  The word Xmas is much older than you would think and it dates all the way back to the 12th century, when it was used in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

Myth: Jesus was born on December 25. The exact date the Son of God was born is not stated anywhere in the Gospels, so we cannot say for sure when the event occurred. It almost certainly did not take place during the colder months of the year, as realistically shepherds would not have been tending their flocks in deep winter. So why do we celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December? Some historians believe it was because that date fell during the winter solstice, an already-established pagan tradition that was later Christianised.

Myth: Jingle Bells is a Christmas song.  Written in 1857 by American James Pierpont, the song was originally called One Horse Open Sleigh and was meant to be about Thanksgiving. If you listen carefully, the song never mentions Christmas (or Xmas).