The holiday drew national consideration thanks to Seinfeld. In a 1997 episode titled “The Strike”, which aired during the ninth season, George Costanza’s father, Frank (Jerry Stiller), decided he was performing a solitary war on Christmas. Instead of celebrating a tacky commercialized holiday, Frank was going to start his own occasion—Festivus. “Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son,” explained Frank in the show. “I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way.” With that, Festivus was born.
The holiday is celebrated on December 23rd, because Frank wanted “to get a leg up on Christmas.” To mark the occasion, an aluminum pole is set up in the living room or backyard—the Festivus pole, which “requires no decoration,” according to Frank. After a Festivus meal, celebrants must air their grievances with each other and engage in feats of strength, like wrestling.
4 thoughts on “Festivus, For The Rest Of Us, December 23rd”
Oh my…the airing of grievances is something that unfortunately happens at some Christmas dinners. When I was quite young we joined another family for the dinner. The husband and wife got in a row and the wife got up with her plate of turkey and all the trimmings walked over to the husband and broke the plate over his head!. I couldn’t help myself and burst out laughing. My Father gave me a “look” and I pulled myself together and stopped laughing.
My goodness, you have a wild memory of a wild holiday dinner. I only have remembrance of “sharp silence” and “chilly tension” by dinner guests…but no broken plates.
Doggedly Yours 
Oh my…the airing of grievances is something that unfortunately happens at some Christmas dinners. When I was quite young we joined another family for the dinner. The husband and wife got in a row and the wife got up with her plate of turkey and all the trimmings walked over to the husband and broke the plate over his head!. I couldn’t help myself and burst out laughing. My Father gave me a “look” and I pulled myself together and stopped laughing.
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My goodness, you have a wild memory of a wild holiday dinner. I only have remembrance of “sharp silence” and “chilly tension” by dinner guests…but no broken plates.
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Hope Christmas was good for you and yours
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Quiet and peaceful for us. Thanks for asking.
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