Happy Festivus

Many Christmases ago, Frank Costanza went to buy a doll for his son, George. He went to reach for it because it was the last one, but so did another man and as Frank rained blows upon him, he thought there could be another way. The doll was destroyed, but out of that, a new holiday was born. It was called Festivus ...



Festivus is a fictional holiday created by Frank Costanza (played by Jerry Stiller) on the popular American television comedy, Seinfeld. Some fans of the show now celebrate this fictional holiday in real life.

Festivus is a holiday held on December 23 of each year. It was created as a response to the commercialism of the other December holidays. Its motto is 'Festivus, a holiday for the rest of us'.

The Festivus celebration includes three major components:

The Festivus Pole – display of an unadorned aluminum pole, apparently in opposition to the commercialization of the decorated Christmas trees.

The Airing of Grievances – where the celebrant tells their friends and family all of the instances where they disappointed the celebrant that year.

The Feats of Strength – where the head of the family tests their strength against one participant. Festivus is not considered over until the head of the family has been pinned. A participant is allowed to decline to attempt to pin the head of the family only if they have something better to do instead ...

Categories: christmas, calendar-customs