Happy Festivus or is it Christmas Eve Eve?

You don’t necessarily need to have been a Seinfeld fan to have heard of Festivus, but in case you didn’t know, it’s for the rest of us. Back in 1997, this oddly intriguing holiday was introduced to the world during an episode of Seinfeld and it’s been a part of pop culture ever since.

A surprising tidbit of information regarding Festivus is that it wasn’t an original idea that Seinfeld writers came up with specifically for the show. It was actually a family tradition that was started by Daniel O’Keefe, a longtime editor at Reader’s Digest that his family celebrated as early as 1966.

Before we get too carried away, I’m not suggesting that Seinfeld stole the idea or anything like that. Daniel O’Keefe’s son, Dan eventually became a writer on the show and decided to incorporate Festivus into an episode, so everything is on the up and up there.

As silly as it’s premise sounds, Festivus was always meant to be non-denominational and non-commercial which is why I think it’s so endearing to many. There’s the Festivus pole associated with the holiday which does not require any decorating whatsoever and of course, my personal favorite aspect of Festivus, “the airing of grievances.”

I’m happy to say that I personally don’t have a lot of problems with you people and I hope that you can say the same for me. But if not, I guess now’s the time to speak up? The way 2020 has gone, there’s definitely no shortage or grievances to air. From having to quarantine, adjusting to working from home (or being essential and having to head out into an unsafe world), and some parents having to also become part-time teachers this year, I can’t begrudge those that feel unhappy about the whole deal.

What I am hopeful for is that those grievances begin to diminish in number though. So, whether you refer to December 23 as Festivus or the old standby of Christmas Eve Eve, just know that no matter what people care about you and you are loved.

Wishing you a very happy holiday season. Take care and stay safe!