Think of the first image that pops into your head when you think of the word, "Christmas."

Maybe you thought of your loved ones, presents, church or something else related to Christianity.

But, there’s a good chance that the classic image of Santa Claus appeared.

From then on, Coca-Cola featured Mr. Claus in its holiday advertising campaigns each year and the association of Santa Claus with Christmas stuck. Millions of companies have since been inspired by Coca-Cola's Claus and have created their own Santa-related content.

The origins of the beloved joyful bearded man in a red suit date back to the historical figure, Saint Nicholas, born in 270 AD. According to National Geographic, Saint Nick was associated with miracles and was the bringer of gifts. Countless poems were written and artistic iterations published, eventually giving rise to the myth of the magical gift-bearing Santa Claus who traveled the world in a reindeer-drawn sleigh on Christmas Eve night.

But the question remains, wouldn’t Jesus be annoyed?

The holidays have turned into a season focused on furthering America’s stressful consumer culture.

The holidays are actually grounded in religion and gathering, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. But instead, we tend to to praise a fictional character whose story and image werereated by a powerful company.

And Christmas has evolved into a frenzy of materialism.

It's evident that the focus of holidays have shifted from religion to culture and economics in America.

According to a 2013 study published by Pew Research Center, nearly 80% of non-Christians celebrate Christmas in the United States.

And as holiday spirit increases, bank accounts do just the opposite.

It is predicted that Americans will drop nearly $1 trillion in retail sales and $110 billion in online sales this holiday season. This will be an almost 4% increase over the total holiday revenue in 2016.

Although the holidays are a joyous time of year for many, it is also a time that highlights prosperity and occupies the marketing and advertising teams of powerful corporations.

If this doesn’t show the dark reality of American consumerism and materialism, I don’t know what does. The irony becomes clear when you take a step back and remember that Christmas is meant to be a time dedicated to celebration and appreciation of religion and the birth of Jesus Christ.