Why Is "Christmas" Pronounced 'Kris Miss'?

@mythociate (21432)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
December 22, 2015 7:48am CST
The asker at the link suggests "the same reason people say 'FOR-ED' instead of 'forehead,' or 'comf-ti-ble' instead of 'comfortable'" (although in the Southern MidWest (isn't that a way to say 'where Oklahoma City is?') we 'split the diff-rence (how most pronounce "difference") and call it 'comf-ter-ble' A little further-down the page, some Yahoo(-er) suggested it had to do with Kris Kringle and the "pagan" roots of the holiday (set by the day the Winter Solstice is first visibly beginning to end ... i.e. when Northern Hemisphere-ers can first see the sun's arc begin to adjust back to a higher angle). Kris Kringle is a name for a gift-bringer around Winter Solstice' End (i.e. Santa Claus, Secret Santa, Christkindl). I looked-up the meaning of "Chris"---it is "short for Christopher," which means "bearer (bringer or guardian) of Christ." ('Christ' of course meaning "Anointed One and the Anointing thereof). But why did Christians let it get like that? Why did we let it become 'Kris-tians' anyway? And why don't we call HIM 'Krisst'?
If the holiday is supposed to be about celebrating the birth of christ....why the presents? It is not your birthday, it is not your kid's birthday, it is supposedly the birthday of christ...so why don't christians buy presents for Jesus? Or at the
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3 responses
Just an Ordinary Owl?
@owlwings (43902)
• Cambridge, England
22 Dec 15
The question should rather be why is 'Christ' pronounced with the 'ai' dipthong and not to rhyme with 'list', 'fist', 'mist' and the first syllable of 'Christian', 'Christopher' and 'Christmas' - or, indeed, the Latin 'Christus' (from which the word is derived). I don't know of anyone who pronounces 'Christmas' as 'kriss-miss'. It is always closer to 'kris-muss'. The 't' sound was lost a long time ago because 't-m' is an awkward combination.
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Uncle Jay, Finding More Value in Your Machine
@mythociate (21432)
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
27 Dec 15
You're right. And I think the name of the season is more about 'the group you're gathering with.' The way it is ... it's just the time of the year for gathering with 'your brood,' and most 'broods' are made up of Christians or Christophers (followers of- or people whose hearts are full of-Christ). So--for most--it's a time for 'amassing the Chris-es.'
Peter B. Giblett
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
22 Dec 15
It is pronounced exactly as it is written, except the 't' in the word is almost silent. If you listen hard it is in there, but only just. BTW the second half of the word is always pronounced with an "A" as in mass.
Uncle Jay, Finding More Value in Your Machine
@mythociate (21432)
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
27 Dec 15
maybe up there in Canada it's 'pronounced' like that (and probably pronounce 'pronounce' "pro-NOONCE" )
Peter B. Giblett
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
27 Dec 15
@mythociate I may live in Canada, but my pronunciation is English to the core.
1 person likes this
Shasta
@cupkitties (7421)
• United States
27 Dec 15
Ask them to say it slowly and you'll hear the T. Its normal when we are speaking at normal speed, that a few letters might become silenced in the process.
Uncle Jay, Finding More Value in Your Machine
@mythociate (21432)
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
27 Dec 15
Have you ever heard Johnny Mathis sing "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"? There's a section near the end when it's just "Chris-miss Chris-miss Chris-miss" (or 'muss')