This is the time of year when family and friends across the country gather to celebrate Christmas, Hannukah and Kwanzaa. But this December, more Americans than ever—myself among them--are observing a new holiday tradition, the 31 days of HealthMax™.

Also known as RXmas™, the uniquely American festivities of HealthMax represent that glorious time of year when those who have already reached their insurance deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums rush to doctors’ offices, clinics and labs to get their “free” health care before January 1^st arrives. Across America, joyous revelers happily get poked, prodded and prescriptions before the New Year brings a new insurance policy and new costs. As the holiday poem begins:

“'Twas the day after RXmas, when all through the house

All the sick creatures were crying, especially my spouse.”

The impact of HealthMax on American culture is unmistakable. One health care organization now publishes its Adventist Calendar, with last minute exams, blood tests, x-rays and PT sessions marking each of the days of December. The newly updated lyrics for “The Doctor Is Coming to Town” explain:

You better max out / you better not wait / you better not doubt / lest big bills be your fate, Doctor is coming to town.

He’s making a list / he’s checking it twice / he’s going to find out / who’s paying January’s price, Doctor is coming to town.

I have been one of the intermittent practitioners of HealthMax for years. After all the costs I incurred during my Summer of Minor Surgeries, I packed December with an annual physical, a check-in with my cardiologist, a visit to the audiologist, a swing by the lab for some blood tests and even squeezed some X-rays. Scheduling these just one month later would have meant many hundreds of dollars needlessly leaving my bank account.

Alas, even the most faithful followers of RXmas can fall into its one major trap. Celebrating HealthMax only really works if you’re relatively healthy. If you are actually sick or uncover conditions which require additional testing or treatment, then in December you will have only succeeded in teeing up a raft of new out-of-pocket charges in the New Year. In my case, a myriad of newly-revealed medical issues (admittedly all minor) together mean I will be hemorrhaging money well into the spring.

Which is also a new American holiday of its own. It’s called Cashover™.