Today is Festivus, a holiday for the rest of us

Seinfeld; Addy Bink (newsnationnow.com, 12/23/21) via KTLA.com; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

Thursday marks Festivus: What to know about the holiday ‘for the rest of us’

George Costanza (Wikipedia)

Are you already tired of Christmas, even though it isn’t even here yet? Or maybe you don’t celebrate Kwanzaa or Hanukkah or the other winter holidays and "festivals of light."

If so today, Dec. 23rd, is your day. Welcome to Festivus, the holiday for “the rest of us.”

The TV-holiday was introduced by the 1990s’ sitcom Seinfeld. As explained in Episode 10 of Season 9, George Costanza’s father, played by the late Jerry Stiller, was not a fan of the commercialization and religious aspects of Christmas [and the Jewish holy days], so he created Festivus.

Happy Festivus Eve! Let's revisit the classic tale of the very first Festivus celebration. ✨ pic.twitter.com/tiX5oZ2fs0 — Seinfeld (@SeinfeldTV) Dec. 22, 2021.

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During Festivus, a bare aluminum pole is raised instead of a tree. When the family gathers for the traditional holiday meal of loaf on a bed of lettuce, there is the “airing of grievances” with them, sharing all the ways they have disappointed you over the last year.

And if that isn’t enough, there are also the “feats of strength” in which the head of the family wrestles with another person in attendance.

Festivus doesn’t end until the head of the family has been pinned, according to FestivusWeb.com, a website run by Mark Nelson, author of Festivus The Book: A Complete Guide to the Holiday for the Rest of Us.

Seinfeld writer Dan O’Keefe explained during a podcast with The Daily Beast that the idea behind Festivus comes from his own father, who also created his own holiday.

While it is unclear just how many people celebrate Festivus, games, shirts, and decorations for the holiday can be found on Amazon.com.

Many were already tweeting about the pseudo-holiday on Wednesday night, or Festivus Eve. The official Twitter account for the sitcom called on viewers to save a tree by celebrating Festivus, saying that for every photo posted to the platform with #FestivusSavesTrees, they’ll plant a tree.

As of December 21st, 2021, 5,000 trees have been saved. Source