Happy Early Festivus! A Festivus for the rest of us! While most people celebrate Festivus tomorrow on the 
23rd, I thought I would take this opportunity to familiarize everyone with the traditions of the holiday, in case you would like to join in on the celebrations.
While most people associate Festivus with Seinfeld, the idea of Festivus was actually around before it became the adopted religious practice of Frank Costanza. It was actually created in 1966 by Daniel O’Keefe and developed it further as the years went on. The traditions of Festivus include the “Feats of Strength” which was a wrestling match amongst the children, and a “airing of grievances” where one tells friends and family how they have disappointed you over the past year, usually over a Festivus dinner. There were a few other traditions that have since been lost.
The writers of Seinfeld ( one being the son of O’Keefe who inspired the episode) altered some of the traditions from O’Keefe’s. Frank Costanza was inspired to create Festivus when he was doing his holiday shopping and got in a fight over the last doll on a shelf with another father. Costanza altered the holiday in a few ways, in the “feats of strength” instead of 
the children wrestling those who wrestled were selected by the head of the house. Also the aluminum pole was incoroporated as 
the main decoration of Festivus in reaction to the elaborately decorated and expensive Christmas trees. In addition, Mr. Constanza found tinsel “distracting.”
So however you choose to celebrate Festivus, may it be a happy one!
- Justine
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