| Jeff the Baptist, vol. 1, #1: Comments & Feedback Ho Ho Hum
Wow, thank you for the thoughtful reactions to my first
column! The wonders of e-communication! Rather than distancing us from one another, it
brings us closer together!
And, with that spiritual thought, I'd like to share the best Xmas practice I've heard this
year, sent by a friendly reader: While living on a reservation, at Christmas time they
made 'tobacco ties.' Little pinches of tobacco tied up in a small square of cloth, these
ties are then joined to a string. But the kicker is that as the tie is made a prayer is
made with it. Tie after tie is added to the string until a long string of ties is created.
When finished, the string of ties is held aloft so that the prayers may be carried off
with the wind to be offered to the Divine. Thanks for the wonderful thought, Karen.
But, back to "Xmas or Christmas?" I just learned this week that, rather than yet
another sign that Satan is out to ruin the world by secularizing it, the 'X' in Xmas is
actually the same Greek "Chi" that begins the word "Christ."
Apparently the first recorded appearance of this shorthand "Xmas" (pronounced
"KRIS-mus") is 1555. Thank you for that very interesting fact, Gillian.
Ironic. Oh, if we knew then what we know now….
- Jeff the Baptist
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