Important moments in the Christian calendar have been secularized and debased, turned into materialistic celebrations without meaning. For too long, we have been conditioned to think that Christmas is merely a day of materialistic splurging after months of mindless shopping. However, Christmas is not about presents, and it is actually a whole season that ends on February 2nd.

Although we are told that February 2nd is “Groundhog Day,” it is really known as Candlemas, the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. It was also a day that Christians looked towards the coming Spring, and a tradition about weather on this feast day was appropriated with the addition of a groundhog as a further way to mock Christians.

On this day, Christians celebrate the moment that Jesus was brought to the Temple in Jerusalem to be consecrated to the Lord according to the Hebrew law. This was a great act of obedience and devotion by Mary and Joseph, and it shows their commitment to God. By bringing Jesus up through the law, they fulfill not only the promises of the prophets but the Lord’s promise to Simeon that he would witness the coming of the Messiah.

In Luke 2, Simeon embraces the infant Jesus and announces that He will become the savior of all people and glorify Israel. This, of course, amazes Mary and Joseph in the openness of his declaration, but it does not surprise them because they were told of how special Jesus was when he was conceived.

Then Simeon makes it clear to Mary that salvation through Christ will be painful, but it will be a necessary pain. This is the most important part of the nativity narrative, and it tells us that every moment of Christ’s life leads to the Crucifixion and the salvation of all mankind.

Each moment during the Christmas Season, the Nativity, Circumcision, Epiphany, and Presentation, prepares the faithful for the sacrifice of Christ that comes at Easter. To neglect any of these celebrations is to neglect His nature, and Christians are called to meditate on these important moments in Christ’s childhood to prepare their own path to following Him.

Too often, there are those who criticize or bully others who leave up Christmas decorations after New Year’s Day or even Christmas Day. This act is likely inspired by a society that tries to minimize aspects of Christianity or secularize them. The secularists allow us to have a moment when we celebrate our savior, but they don’t want us to celebrate too much.

By taking down decorations soon after Christmas Day has ended, Christians are conditioned to think that there is no reason to continue celebrating. As a result, they forget that Christmas is a season, which causes them to forget the important moments of Christ’s nativity. Christmas Day soon becomes just a birthday when people share presents and nothing more.

A child is born, but the reason for His birth is lost. This loss is reinforced by Candlemas being replaced by Groundhog Day, a secular holiday that gets all of the media attention.

This article is part of a series on Catholic teaching. A version of this article was originally published on January 28, 2017 in the Carroll County Times.