Hugs and Kisses XOXO

Kisses Hugs

XOXO

With Valentines Day coming soon, Christmas lights will be put away and pink hearts will start appearing, Perfect time to think about love and the many ways we can express this emotion. Its the time of year when the same X and O's of football turn into the game of romance.No Im not talking about gridiron plays I am talking about the ever popular, hard not to love . . Hugs and Kisses. Most have to agree that the X and O's are an easy way to express what cannot be said. Be it a text message across the air waves or a hand penned letter we can easily say it with an X and an O .

How many times have you sent a text to someone like your valentine using XOXO. It is a quick and easy way to send someone some love and affection and it is a great way to end an email or a text with a warm closing. Yet how many times have you used the X and O letters without really giving any thought as to why or where this came from? I think it is the romantic taking hold of me as I write this close to Valentines day, which of course always makes me think about these kind of things ;)

And the Hug the O

So here is the question . . . Does the "X" stand for the Kiss and the "O" stand for the Hug or is it the other way around. Personally, in a love letter I have always thought of the X as the kiss and the O as the hug. sending a valentine to me, using a Hug would be the "O" and as it is a circle, it just fits a description of a hug more.. But the more I read about which is which the more I see that there has been much debate over which stands for which. Some say that the "X" is for the crossing of the arms when one hugs another. And the "O" can be the shape of the mouth for a kiss. Which will you use for your valentine card ending?

Here is a little bit of the Hug and Kiss history and I hope you can help me decide which is the hug and which is the kiss. Anyway you look at this, I think you will find this inspirational as you search for the truth about love. And the X and the O is always something that works well when sending a love letter to a loved one.

The "O"

The origins of the O as a hug are not generally known, but if you look at the letter you can clearly see that it can represent the arms wrapped around someone and that to me is a hug. To me a hug is always pink, truth is pink and hugs are just about my favorite things.

If we look to the origin of the word "Hug" which is of Germanic origin and the word "embrace" which is of Latin origin. Clearly a hug is a hug. And I am sure we can all remember a grandparent or an aunt asking us to come and give them a "hug". No one really ever asks for an embrace. The words are literally interchangeable, but not really, not in real life. When you want a hug or give a hug or receive a hug, you are getting wrapped arms and pressed bodies. An embrace can be a hug but it can be a whole series of other things. You can embrace an idea; find something embracing; embrace yet remain aloof. The point here is that a hug is a simple idea whose synonym is not. Embrace is a complex notion that has lots of possibilities. In our language and our speech, we can say both. In our attitude we can show both. One leaves little room for doubt, the other demands interpretation.

There are so many types of hugs in the world. XOXO is such an easy way to show someone ove and affection and be sure not to send your love only on Valentines day. Everyday a hug and or a kiss should be shared. Some are big and some are small. Some are shared between lovers and some between friends. There are hugs we give to show someone we care and show that we are there. A hug is warm and full of love and you know when you receive that hug, it is special and its to show the person who gave the hug cares for you and loves you. If you make it pink all the better.

Hugs can also be mysterious, but the one thing I do know about hugs is that they are never given out of hatred or spite. They are given out of love. So when you see someone that you love, dont say anything just give them a hug!

The "X" KISS

The Greeks first used X as a letter. The X became associated with the crucifixion and symbolized truth. Illiterate persons signed documents with an X as an oath that the content is true. Even some kings even though they could write would use the X as a sign of truth and commitment.

In Medieval times, the tradition of allowing those who could not write, could sign a document with an "X". With a witness present the signer would place a kiss upon the "X" to show sincerity. This was considered as good as a sworn oath in those times and therefore people that could not write used the "X" in the same way a signature is used today, as a mark of one's word. Therefore an X at the end of a letter or document was often kissed as a seal of honesty.

Some believed "X" was chosen as a variation on the cross symbol, while others believe it might have been a pledge in the name of Christ. The "X" or the Chi symbol is the twenty-second letter of the Greek alphabet and has been used in church history to represent Christ.

Tav

In Hebrew the last letter of the Aleph bet is Tav. And this letters meaning is a sign, a mark or a symbol. The orginial forms of the letter Tav were two crossed sticks that formed an "x" or a "t". As time went on one stick grew longer than the other and somehow started to curve and the picture on the left shows how the letter "Tav" looks today.

The "X" was also the ancient Paleo Hebrew letter Tav, and was a symbol of the Seal of Hashem (God) and it represented truth, completeness, and perfection.

Urban Lingo

The Shawks Inc. encyclopedia, an authority in urban lingo, has it that the 'O' represents a hug, and the 'X' a kiss, with the explanation that if you look at each letter like it was representing two people from a bird's eye view, the 'O' represents the arms of those persons hugging each other while the 'X' is evocative of two people kissing.

I also came across a less common interpretation which is which in where there is an assumption that the "X" represents the crossed arms of a hug and O as the puckered lips of a kiss. Valentines day is a great day to talk about which is which.

Additionally, there is a more simple interpretation, based on the pronunciation of the letters X (sounds like 'kiss') and O (sounds like 'hold', as in 'I hold you'). Truth be told they are love letters and and X and an O are always understood that you are sending lots of love.

From the Victorian Age

On an interesting note, In Victorian cultures and those that proceeded them, the 'X' or kiss has been taken by the pornographic film industry as 'XXX'. Many have noted that the X was seen as more erotic than the "O" hug .

I think that with the "X" as a symbol of truth we can see why it eventually became the kisses. It is like when you sign a text, an email or a card with "X" s, you are not just sending kisses but you’re saying, “This is the truth, I love you"!

If you are writing a true love letter or just a text or email message when you add "O" 's to it you are sending that Kiss with a delicious hug. What better way is there to show someone you love affection, and it is with just two letters of the alphabet! The X and the O can be quite useful letters when sending the one you love a special Valentines Day card. Truth is, these letters are the perfect finishing touch.