It’s the most wonderful time of the year, unless you’re celebrating Festivus that is. This now popular made up anti-holiday celebrated on December 23 rd was introduced to the public on an episode of Seinfeld all the way back on December 18, 1997.
It’s basically a holiday for airing all of our grievances and an alternative to all the consumerism associated with the season.
It may have started out as a joke when the episode aired, but, given the current world state and the pandemic, celebrating the holidays has become harder and harder as we approach yet another year in lockdown due to the covid-19 crisis, making Festivus an apt celebration.
Even though fans of the TV Show immediately get the joke and celebrate it, it has become increasingly popular thanks to internet culture and social media spread who are now “in” the joke.
Where does Festivus come from?
Festivus first appeared on the 166th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld named “The Strike” when George Costanza (Jason Alexander), revealed that his father (Jerry Stiller) created the day to contrast the religious and commercial aspects of the traditional December holidays.
To celebrate this anti-holiday, Frank Costanza would place an unadorned aluminum pole instead of a tree as a protest to all the “fake” Christmas decorations that adorn everyone’s house this season.
In reality, the idea for the holiday came from series writer Dan O’Keefe’s own childhood experiences. The writer claims that his own father came up with the holiday back in the 60’s.
Another important part of Festivus is a special ceremony known as the “airing of grievances,” where you get to tell the people in your life how they disappointed you. No wonder it has become a favorite amongst twitter users, especially heading into the third year in a pandemic.
So, will you celebrate Festivus this year?
