Today is Festivus, the important alternative holiday popularized by the classic 1997 Seinfeld episode "The Strike." It is a magical time for family and friends who have been driven out of Bayside to gather together around the Festivus pole for Feats of Strength and, most importantly this year, the annual Airing of the Grievances.
The idea for the Seinfeld episode originated (accidentally) with sitcom writer Daniel O'Keefe, who later published a book, The Real Festivus, which lays out how Festivus was an actual holiday created by his father. "In real life it was celebrated whenever the hell my dad felt like it, September to May," O'Keefe later explained. "One year there was none. One year, there were two."
In the same Q&A, O'Keefe recalled that it wasn't until he was eight years old that he realized Festivus was not a holiday others celebrated: "I mentioned to a kid on the bus 'We had Festivus last night, and...' He said 'Whaaaaaat?' I soon realized to keep my mouth shut about it and I did for literally twenty years with outsiders, to the point I had actually repressed/forgotten it, till my younger brother (Mark O'Keefe who wrote 'Bruce Almighty' and 'Click') mentioned it to the 'Seinfeld' head writers and they made me stick it in an episode, although I fought against it."
Here's the semi-official Festivus website for all your Festivus needs. Of course, the only thing you really for Festivus is a place to air your grievances. So scroll down and let us know what your problem is in the comments.
