Festivus

Today was Festivus! A Festivus for the rest of us!! It's my favorite of the winter holidays.

Festivus was created on the 90s sitcom Seinfeld. The episode is called "The Strike." The plot is that Kramer, the character who appears to do nothing, actually has been on strike from a bagel place (unbeknownst to them). He gets his old job back, but then learns of his friend's father's made-up holiday, Festivus. Mr. Costanza (the inventor of Festivus) created the holiday when George was a kid to battle the commercialization of Christmas. Festivus has an aluminum pole instead of a tree; no tinsel because it's distracting; time off from work like any other holiday; an airing of grievances (to tell your loved ones how they've disappointed you in the last year); and the holiday doesn't end until the head of the table is pinned in the Festivus feats of strength. If you are at all interested, or if my explanation makes absolutely no sense, just go watch the show. It's hilarious.

Fast forward a few years from the 1997 airing of this episode, and people still talk about Festivus. There's even a manufactured greeting card for it (that's how I learned of it). Not only is Festivus a hilarious oddment created by popular culture, but it is also a testament to the fact that there is still room for creation in this world and that even the strangest creations can have some longevity. I always mention Festivus when it is Festivus simply because it exists and I can. We may not air our grievances or wrestle with each other, but we will certainly share some of the old jokes, and that's what makes it awesome.

Today is awesome because I saw The Hobbit again, this time with my family, and I could tell the dwarves apart. It was way better the second time.