The first Christmas after I got married, an aluminum pole similar to this one appeared in the corner of our living room

 

I knew my husband was a Seinfeld fan. I’m a fan of Seinfeld too. We watched plenty of Seinfeld reruns when we were dating. So I knew very well what the pole was for, I just didn’t think I’d ever see one in my home. No, it’s not for pole dancing. For the those who don’t know, the aluminum pole is part of the tradition of Festivus — a holiday created by Jerry Stiller’s character on Seinfeld. The idea behind it, was that he was sick of the commercialization of Christmas, so he created a “bare bones” holiday, “A Festivus for the Rest of Us.”

Despite being a joke, or maybe because its a joke, many people actually do “celebrate” Festivus. I searched around and found an entire community with a website and Facebook page for Festivus celebrators. Since it’s clearly an up and coming tradition, I decided to explain it to all of you, so you know what to expect if you see an aluminum pole in someone’s home. Some of you may even choose to celebrate. Here’s Festivus in a nutshell:

1) The Festivus Pole (pictured)

This is the Festivus counterpart to the Christmas tree. It represents de-commercialization and a “high strength to weight ratio.”

2) The Festivus Dinner

You gather the family on December 23rd. Festivusweb.com says the traditional dinner is spaghetti and meatloaf. I searched around and I don’t think there is any significance to the choice of food.

3) The Airing of Grievances

Each person goes around the table telling each family member how they have been disappointing the last year. This was definitely one of the funniest parts of the Seinfeld episode. Be careful with this one. We changed it to “Airing of Compliments” with the kids.

4) The Feats of Strength

“Festivus does not end until the head of the household is pinned.” The kids had a grand old time wrestling their dad. I went and took a nap.

 

Obviously its a joke holiday, but it can be a lot of fun. My husband still thinks its funny many years later, and the kids get a kick out of having a holiday before Christmas Eve that no one else know about. Mark your calendars for December 23rd!