Happy Festivus! If you don’t celebrate the Festivus holiday, the only question is why? Festivus came to life through the hit 1990’s television show Seinfeld in the classic episode “The Strike.”
The episode originally aired on December 18, 1997, however, the power behind that 23-minute show is still growing stronger every year. In fact, its popularity has literally taken on a life of its own. Back then, the show Seinfeld was dominating in the TV ratings and became a smash hit worldwide, but no one knew at the time how big this one episode in Seinfeld’s nine-year on air run would actually turn out to be.
From greeting cards and bumper stickers to T-shirts and thousands of online memes, this fictional holiday still stands strong in pop culture and is celebrated by many every December 23.
According to WTVM, the episode “The Strike” revolves around character Frank Costanza’s made-up holiday and how he feels the holiday season should be celebrated — well, that is how he feels after his bad experience of trying to purchase a Christmas gift for his son.
The greed and anger Frank Costanza experienced when he heads to a department store to buy a doll for his young son, George, leads to a lifelong fury and resentment towards the holiday season and leads Costanza to change his ways of enjoying the holidays in his household forever.
Fellow character Cosmo Kramer is curious about Festivus and demands to know how and why Costanza celebrates this holiday.
It all began this way.
When Costanza and another man reached for the same doll while Christmas shopping, it leads to what Costanza describes as nothing short of a brutal beat down – and it changes his life forever.
“As I reigned blows upon him I realized there had to be another way!” Costanza tells Kramer.
Thus, the in-demand corporate holiday greed is dead to Costanza, and the new Festivus holiday is born.
“A Festivus for the rest of us!” Costanza cried out.
The happy-go-lucky Kramer is so enamored with Costanza’s story he tells him they must celebrate Festivus together and invite everyone they know.
Little does Kramer know that Festivus is celebrated with an aluminum pole, not a tree, and instead of giving gifts and recalling the good times you have shared with your family and friends, you are to gather around the kitchen table before eating the Festivus meal and tell everyone all the ways they have disappointed you over the past year.
Costanza has labeled that the “Airing of Grievances.”
However, it doesn’t end there. After everyone has their chance to tell each other how much they have let them down and disappointed them during the previous 12 months, the night wraps up with the annual “Feats of Strength.”
In the episode, Costanza tells his son, George, that Festivus isn’t over until they wrestle and George pins him down.
Sounds like every normal holiday celebration when family and friends meet up, right?
If you have never seen the Seinfeld episode “The Strike,” it will be airing Saturday, December 24 at 8 a.m. ET according to a TV Guide report .
Festivus is on Friday! Make your own Festivus pole! Tune in to the Festivus episode every night this week to celebrate the #5DaysofFestivus ! pic.twitter.com/o43s1Vh2hc
— Seinfeld (@SeinfeldTV) December 21, 2016
No matter how you celebrate Christmas and the holiday season, just remember to be kind, giving and show some compassion for each other. And heck, if you are really feeling the spirit of Festivus, you can even build your own Festivus pole, it’s quick and easy!
Happy Festivus everyone!
[Featured Image by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images]
