Question: is there a difference between xmas and christmas

Answer: No, Xmas is a common abbreviation of the word Christmas. It is sometimes pronounced /ˈɛksməs/, but Xmas, and variants such as Xtemass, originated as handwriting abbreviations for the typical pronunciation /ˈkrɪsməs/. The ``X'' comes from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word Χριστός, which in English is ``Christ''. The ``-mas'' part is from the Latin-derived Old English word for Mass.