A Festivus for the rest of us!
Festivus is a winter holiday that was popularized the TV series Seinfeld. It was so goofy that it became a sensation -and people follow the rites and rituals as laid down by Frank Costanza in the episode “The Strike.” But, believe it or not, Seinfeld wasn’t actually the birthplace of Festivus.
Today, you can buy Festivus T-shirts and ugly sweaters, and you can decorate your desk with a miniature pole, or just order the real thing for your home, all while praying that Ben & Jerry’s brings back Festivus ice cream. You can even piss your co-workers off by donating to an actual Human Fund in their honor, and they’ll have to act like they’re appreciative because the money goes to supporting arts-education programs in Cleveland. And what makes it all so remarkable isn’t just that the writer responsible for the Festivus story didn’t think it would even make it into the episode, but that he really hoped that no one would ever find out that it was a holiday that his own father invented.
The origin of the holiday goes back to an embarrassing family ritual which began in 1966. Read the entire story of Festivus, as told by the writers who brought it to Seinfeld, at Uproxx.