Festivus - December 23

Happy Festivus to the rest of us! What is Festivus you ask? It is a holiday that was featured in a 1997 episode of Seinfeld. In the episode, Festivus is explained as a holiday invented by George Costanza's father to combat the commercializtion of the Christmas season. But in real life, Festivus was invented (and regularly celebrated) by the father of Seinfeld writer, Dan O'Keefe!

HOW TO CELEBRATE #FESTIVUS (as seen on TV) -

• FESTIVUS POLE - Rather than celebrating with a highly decorated Christmas tree, Frank Costanza celebrates with an unadorned pole. As he explains, he finds "tinsel distracting" and his pole has "very high strength-to-weight ratio."

• FESTIVUS DINNER - A celebratory dinner held on December 23 because Frank wanted to get a "leg up on the [holiday] competition." In the episode there is no alcohol, and they serve meat loaf on a bed of lettuce.

• AIRING OF GRIEVANCES - At the beginning of the Festivus dinner, each person takes turns describing how the others have disappointed him or her over the past year. As Frank says, "I've got a lot of problems with you people, and now you're going to hear about it!"

• FEATS OF STRENGTH - After the dinner, the head of the household tests their strength against one Festivus guest. Festivus is not considered over until the head of the family has been pinned. As the credits roll, you can hear Frank yell at George, "Stop crying and fight your father!"