Festivus

The holiday “Festivus” was invented thanks to an episode of the once, widely popular TV show, Seinfeld. For most people it’s not a real holiday, but for many that are not into Christmas, or are just huge Seinfeld fans, they incorporate it into their December holiday traditions. We’ve put together a little bit of information so you can learn what this holiday is all about.

How It Started
On the Festivus episode that originally aired on December 18, 1997, the term “A Festivus for the rest of us!” was the slogan that was heard throughout the show. Festivus started with the character, George Costanza creating a lie that his family celebrated it instead of Christmas. When someone tried to call him out on it, George got his friends together to celebrate it with him and help him prove that he wasn’t lying. Supposedly, editor and writer Dan O’Keefe first came up with the idea of Festivus in 1966. It was his son that actually wrote the now famous Seinfeld episode.

What Occurs
Festivus is celebrated on December 23rd. Instead of a tree, there is an aluminum pole. Individuals also participate in the “Airing of Grievances” where they tell each individual how they have been disappointed by them the previous year. Afterwards everyone gathers for a dinner. There really aren’t any traditional dishes for Festivus, but the dinner is meant to be quite a feast and there’s supposed to be an abundance of food available. To wrap up the evening, those who attend the dinner participate in the “Feats of Strength” that involves the head of household being held down.

Who Celebrates It
While this episode was meant to just be funny, many people have actually chosen to participate in Festivus activities. It’s a way for them to rebel against the commercialism of Christmas and to get out any issues that they may be having with other family members. It’s hard to determine exactly how many people celebrate this holiday, but there are quite a few web pages dedicated to it.

Do you plan on celebrating Festivus with your family? If you do, remember that the main component of it is the Festivus pole. You can easily make one by inserting a four or five foot piece of aluminum pipe into a thick piece of Styrofoam. Keep in mind that the holiday is mostly meant to be fun and even during the Airing of Grievances you shouldn’t make things too serious.

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