Contrary to popular belief, “Xmas” is not a trendy attempt to “take Christ out of Christmas”. “Christianity” was spelled “Xianity” as far back as 1100. X, or Chi, is the Greek first letter of “Christ” so “X” and back in the fourth century, Constantine the Great often referenced the shorthand version. Some say it was as early as 1021 that the abbreviation “XPmas” was used to reference the holiday, which was later shortened to “Xmas.”
Profession: Singer and Songwriter
Nationality:
Biography: Michael Bublé, held a life-long dream of becoming a singer – or a hockey player. His voice proved more powerful than his slapshot. With the encouragement of his grandparents (and their record collection) he decided to pursue traditional pop and jazz music.
A chance meeting, while performing a wedding gig, with producer David Foster led to his commercial success, initially in Canada and the UK, then in the US, Australia and other parts of the world.
While he has concentrated on interpretations of older standards, he also includes some original songs in his albums, such as the hits “Home”; “Haven’t Met You Yet”; and “It’s A Beautiful Day”. His “Christmas” album (2011) has become a perennial best seller.
He has sold 75 million records and won 5 Grammy and 14 Juno Awards.
In 2005, Bublé was granted dual citizenship by Italy, through his grandparents birth. In 2011, he married Argentine actress Luisana Lopilato. In 2016, his oldest son was diagnosed with liver cancer, and the entertainer put his career on hold to help with his care. The boy has since fully recovered.
Born: September 9, 1975
Birthplace: Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Age: 48 years old
The tradition of putting tangerines in stockings comes from 12th-century French nuns who left socks full of fruit, nuts and tangerines at the houses of the poor.
Last year, the U.S. Postal Service processed more than 11.7 billion pieces of mail and packages during the holiday season. That includes gifts for loved ones, holiday cards, Christmas letters to Santa and of course, those dreaded credit card bills from all the gift shopping.
