Just call me the Grinch. This is my theory on why we love the holiday season.

Why do we love the holidays?

No, Santa isn’t real. No, Jesus wasn’t born December 25th.

In fact, 20 percent of the population makes no claim to any religion at all, but 77 percent of the United States identify as Christian believers.

So, what do we do? We declare and observe a national holiday and dress it up with Santa Claus for those who don’t believe.

Then, on Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day, we’ll honor those who fought and died so that we could have religious freedom.

Valentine’s Day: Raise your hand if you know why we celebrate Valentines Day. Now, raise your hand if you know who Saint Valentine is or why he’s important enough to have a day named after him.

He was a Christian martyr who performed weddings for soldiers, which was against the law.

On Valentine’s Day, we celebrate love, not him. Meanwhile, our national divorce rate thrives. For my state, it’s 13.6 percent. What about your state?

We don’t care.

A dozen red roses to the love of our life!

Thanksgiving & the 4th of July: Do you know how America really became a free country? Do you know how we achieved the American dream?

Kill the Indian. Save the man.

We imprisoned, even killed, children after taking them from their families and forced them to work for and be like us. Then, we took the fruit of their mother and father’s harvest and we sold it, offering them a fraction of the profit for their own hard work and we still do the same thing.

What are the holidays for us?

Holidays are when we give to others so that we feel good. They are when we remember the less fortunate, but we don’t have the time to give real love or concern. So, we open our pocketbooks as long as it doesn’t impact our own budget. After all, it’s tax season and charity can be written-off, right?

Holidays are when we remember to say “I love you” to our spouses and children, family and friends; a quick letter in the mail should do just fine. We’re too busy for phone calls. We have lights to hang, gifts to wrap, and flowers to order! On second thought, we’ll just send an email or text.

Holidays are when we remember to go to church and we get extra days off of work. After all, we need to dress up for pictures anyway; two birds, one stone!

We deserve a break and God is good!

Holidays are when we return to our ex husband or wife and “mend” our broken families because we’d rather be content and complacent than alone for the holiday season. First big move of the new year? Divorce! But at least we weren’t alone.

We did it for the children!

Right?

Why do we celebrate?

Because, all around us, the music is playing, the lights are twinkling, the carolers are singing, the markets are buzzing and that’s just our way of life.

This is the way that it should be. It’s tradition and traditions are important to us. We’re Christian. This is our faith. We’re Americans!

We’re dreamers and liars hidden by hype.

We’re lost on social networks, flooded in busy-work and engulfed with pride. We’re greedy, indulgent, selfish and lazy.

We bite on the apple of temptation every time we pass by. We’re adulterers, squanderers, sinners and daydreamers posing as saints. We’re busy, petty, judgemental and biased.

We’re optimists blinded by rose-colored glasses. We drink from a poisonous cup.

We’re human.

This is our culture, penciling in when to give and to love.

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Feel like giving a little love away this year? Visit The Wounded Warrior Project, No Kid Hungry, Just Give, UNICEF or St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Pencil more love into the New Year! Little is much.