Festivus pole

By David Allen on December 23, 2010 5:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) |

festivus 002.jpg

Reader Bob Terry, a "Seinfeld" fan supreme, dropped by our newsroom last week to present me with my very own Festivus pole. It will not be re-gifted. The pole occupies a spot in my spillover cubicle of tchotchkes.

Festivus, a fictional holiday, was created in a 1997 episode of the series by curmudgeonly character Frank Costanza as a way to celebrate the Christmas season without all the pressure and commercialization.

Festivus decorations are a simple aluminum pole, no more. ("I find tinsel distracting," Costanza said in the episode.) The Festivus celebration involves a dinner, the ritual Airing of Grievances against family members and a post-dinner wrestling bout with the head of the household, an activity dubbed Feats of Strength.

Bob couldn't find aluminum for the homemade pole, but he improvised. What's with the paper, clipped to the pole's top? "That's for you to list your grievances," he told me.

Festivus, which has its own Wikipedia page, is celebrated on Dec. 23. Are you ready for Festivus? Thanks to Bob Terry, I am. Giddy-up.

2 Comments

hugh.c.mcbride said:

This is *tremendous* -- now all we need is a live feed of the Daily Bulletin's Festivus celebration posted on the paper's website.

The Feats of Strength alone would surely draw enough paying customers to pay for the upkeep of your overflow cubicle for the next year.

"Ladies & gentlemen, as is tradition, Festivus is not over until an enraged local council member can pin David Allen!"

[The live feed would show me back at my desk after lunch (i.e., a live feed). Honestly, I doubt there would be any enraged council members. Irked council members, now that might be a sizable group... DA]

December 23, 2010 1:42 PM

Ren said:

You need a Mayor Moochie T Shirt.

December 25, 2010 8:02 AM