Myth by Linda

“Myth is a system of communication, that it is a message. This allows one to perceive that myth cannot possibly be an object, a concept, or an idea; it is a mode of signification, a form” (Barthes, 107).
Merry Christmas! Or by those who are more secular, Happy Holidays! No matter how you express it, though, the month of December is the occurrence of a combination of holidays that are largely celebrated by no work, parties, gift exchanges, food, and visits from family and friends. Because of a particularly grisly experience in December 2005, I have come to realize that the celebration of the holidays in America in December has been overwritten with a cultural impression of a specific type of acceptable behavior. I believe it is a culmination of both the religious holidays that are observed and the coming of a new year. Consumerism and the rise of the popularity of Santa Claus also contributes to this cultural phenomenon.

So if the Merry Christmas is the myth, then what was there before? December is a time of enormous stress for many people. That is the reality of the situation. Why?

You have to buy gifts you potentially can’t afford. You can sit out of the gift giving, but to do so raises judgment and pity from family members and friends, who will second guess your every financial move in the coming year.

You have to spend time with people you don’t like. Your relatives. Could there be any more awkward of a time than that spent with relatives during the holidays. They aren’t like you. They don’t know you. They bought you something you would never use/need/want. They have radically different outlooks on everything it is possible to have an outlook upon: religion, politics, money, relationships, careers, child rearing, exercise, style, and diet, to name a few.

You feel guilty if you do not do any of the things that society (read capitalism) has decided that you should be doing to celebrate the holidays. Is there any greater source of guilt in life than that which occurs at this time of the year? It comes from everywhere. We must put on our best clothing. Our children must be best behaved. We must attend some sort of religious service, even if our shadow wouldn’t darken the door to a religious function under any other circumstances, excepting that of the death of a family member. We must have the most perfectly chosen gifts wrapped in the most perfect way delivered at the culturally appropriate time before the holiday celebration. Forget that the gift went on a credit card. Forget that you spent $75 on the ingredients to make a pound cake that the recipients won’t like. Forget that it cost more than the gift inside the box to mail said present. Forget that you haven’t seen their children in years and have no idea what toys are trending on the opposite coast.

So I am sure that isn't the form that is emptied of the previous content. That is what resides there now. What was there before? I'm not sure I can articulate it. Perhaps in class we can.



“Every object in the world can pass from a closed, silent existence to an oral state, open to appropriation by society, for there is no law, whether natural or not, which forbids talking about things” (Barthes, 107).