the meaning of xmas

Curious and at the library I came across a book entitled "Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas" and after tucking into a few chapters realized that  no one has explained anything relating to the great 25th to me other than the obvious.  Why do we hang stockings or kiss under mistletoe or rejoice when a guy dressed up as Santa  drives by in the back of a pick up truck on a frigid Christmas Eve  as they did in my place of rearing... Transcona... a place onto itself in Winnipeg.

Now I do know about that baby boy but Christmas has become this bloated event consumed with consuming and a mad rush to get it all done. I'm not sure anyone really knows why or what they are doing anymore as the traditions mutate. For instance mistletoe was viewed with awe in ancient times. The root of the word Misteltan means dung twig as it sprung to life in odd places from the droppings of birds but even in my short span of time on Earth the act of hanging mistletoe in doorways has fallen by the wayside. Yet we continue to drag trees into our houses just as the Vikings did.