Happy Festivus (For the Rest of Us)

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Festivus Greeting Card

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uploaded by Jordan Yerman

Happy Festivus! Festivus, the Holiday for the Rest of Us, is the brainchild of Dan O'Keefe, who wrote the spurious holiday into a Seinfeld episode. Unlike Michael Richards' career, Festivus has continued life beyond the long-running sitcom, with people actually celebrating with Festivus Poles for the past four years. Festivus rituals include a dinner, the airing of grievances (in which you tell people how they've pissed you off in the past year), and feats of strength. The only decoration is a plain aluminum Festivus Pole.

Festivus is celebrated on December 23, a date which was chosen at random. The idea of Festivus came from Dan O'Keefe's father, who actually celebrated Festivus, though in real life the date of the holiday would be whenever the senior O'Keefe felt like celebrating. (Festivuspoles.com has free Festivus greeting cards)

The Washington Post got hold of Dan O'Keefe for the airing of grievances.

Festivus was featured in the Seinfeld episode "The Strike".