A Festivus for the Rest of Us

Festivus is an event for people who dislike the holidays and all the fuss of Christmas celebrations. While it was originally designed to combat the over-commercialism of Christmas, and is sometimes referred to as an “anti-Christmas,” according to http://festivusweb.com/origin-of-festivus.php, the holiday could be celebrated at any time of the year.

This holiday was created by Daniel O’Keefe Sr. in 1966, but it was made famous 30 years later when his son, Daniel O’Keefe Jr., a writer for the Seinfeld show, reluctantly included it in an episode of the hit show.

As the holiday started to become more recognized and associated with Christmas, thanks to the Seinfeld episode, it developed more traditions. Instead of a Christmas tree, for instance, Festivus uses a plain metal pole. People celebrating the holiday practice Feats of Strengths and then enjoy a dinner featuring a reddish meatloaf-shaped food on a bed of lettuce. This is followed by the opportunity to air their grievances, including a chance to admit who they don’t like, even if that person is at the meal. Roman Carrillo said, “It sounds like a pretty weird holiday, but seems like something cool to do before Christmas starts.” The slogan, “a festivus for the rest of us,” became a catch phrase, but was first introduced when O’Keefe Sr. was developing the family holiday.

Festivus is a joke that gained a cult following after the Seinfeld episode that first aired on December 18, 1997. While it was supposed to be an anti-Christmas event, it has developed into the type of thing people can do with friends and family before Christmas starts. Fans of the Seinfeld show celebrate this holiday every year on December 23. “Oh, Festivus. I remember that,” said Mr. Rick McKinney. “It’s a very goofy holiday but seems like something you can do to surprise your family and friends this year.”