Each year, as the clock strikes midnight on October 31 to mark the first day of November, millions of Americans exchange their spooky decorations for festive Christmas ones as quick as a whip. With the vast majority of people rushing to curate the most elaborate wishlist instead of commemorating the values of Christmas, it’s obvious the precious holiday has lost its original meaning.

To start, it’s important to understand the history of Christmas. Before the birth of Jesus Christ, early Europeans celebrated the light in the darkness of winter, especially during the winter solstice in late December to mark the end of the cold season and the promise of longer, sunnier days. 

For example, in Scandinavia and much of northern Europe, the first day of the winter solstice was precious to the Norse people as it signified the beginning of Yule, a holiday where fathers and sons would set logs on fire and celebrate until they finished burning out (this process typically lasted about 12 days, ironic because of the 12 Days of Christmas hit song). 

Then, in southern Europe, where winters weren’t as harsh, Romans observed Saturnalia, which started the week before winter solstice and continued for a month afterwards. This holiday honored Saturn, the god of agriculture, and included feasts, traditions, and temporary freedom for individuals of all social classes, even enslaved peoples. Similarly, Romans commemorated the birthday of Mithra, the god of unconquerable sun, on December 25 each year, making it their most sacred day of the year. 

These celebrations were so universal that when Christianity eventually spread across Europe, most prior polytheistic traditions never faded. Over time, the evergreen trees, plentiful feasts, and winter rituals were intertwined with the Christian celebration of Jesus’s birth, transforming the winter months into a season molded by cultural fusion. And no matter who or what these groups celebrated, all holidays equally treasured peace, the opportunity of new beginnings, charity, and gratitude.

But somewhere along the way, especially in the United States, these traditions–rooted in peace, hope, gratitude, and giving–became overshadowed by something far more shinier: money. Christmas, whether celebrated secularly or religiously, emphasized generosity, humility, and new beginnings. Yet, in modern American culture, these values have become steadily replaced with a hysteria of shopping, spending, and decorating that begins earlier and earlier each year.

Today, Christmas is less a season of reflection and more so a season of buying. Advertisements for holiday sales and new products flood television screens and social media feeds before most people even begin curating their Thanksgiving menu. Children are encouraged to write the most lengthy wishlists while parents are pressured into scrambling around malls in search of the “perfect gift”. 

The American obsession with materialism doesn’t just dilute the meaning of Christmas. It reconstructs it into a competitive sport, one where its citizens fight over who can put on the biggest display, snag the best Black Friday bargain, and who can get the most likes on their Christmas morning Instagram post. 

But what’s really disturbing is how normal this all feels. We rarely ever question this idealized celebration of Christmas: why we’re told we need to ditch the rainbow lights for white ones, purchase a new festive pajama set, or swap last year’s “Beige Christmas” aesthetic with this year’s “Ralph Lauren Christmas” trend. It’s as if Christmas has become a product instead of tradition.

With all that’s going on in the world right now, this holiday has become even more isolated from its central message. I’m not saying participating in gift-buying automatically makes you apathetic or that you have to sacrifice all that you have to the less fortunate to really honor the spirit of Christmas. It is just important for us to remember the reason why we celebrate this holiday, whether for secular or religious reasons. In a culture that worships convenience, abundance, and speed, don’t lose sight of the quieter values of Christmas that make it so special: reflection, charity, gratitude, and kindness. Until we reclaim those values as a society, however, the holiday we know and love as Christmas will continue to drift further away from its roots and deeper into the tinsel-wrapped notion of American consumerism.