Festivus

ABOUT THE BOOK

For a show about nothing, “Seinfeld” lasted quite a long time. It started in 1990, then, 172 episodes later, it had become a staple in American culture forever. Phrases like “yada, yada” and “master of my domain” are just a few things that this prolific television show left behind after a nine season run. The “puffy shirt” from the third episode in season 5 even made it into the National Museum of American History. Not bad for a 30-minute sitcom.

One of the show’s more interesting contributions to our culture, though, is the holiday named Festivus. Festivus is only mentioned in one episode but has gathered quite the cult following. It is talked about, searched for, and even celebrated during the holiday season. When episode 10 of season 9 (“The Strike”) aired on December 18, 1997, nobody knew that Festivus would live have such a lasting impact. The lore behind the creation of this holiday is almost as interesting as the actual celebration.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Nolan grew up in South Carolina and attended the great University of South Carolina in Columbia. After graduation, he packed everything up and moved to the entertainment capital of the world: Los Angeles.

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK

Airing of grievances

Think of your last Thanksgiving celebration when you sat around the dinner table and discussed what you were thankful for. Well, Festivus has a very different feel. The Festivus dinner is a time when you can let everyone at the table know what they have done to upset you throughout the year. This takes place in an orderly fashion and starts with the head of the household. These sessions are the main things that are recorded via cassette tape. This is not something that was added to Festivus for “The Strike” — it was a real part of the O’Keefe family Festivus celebration.

Feats of strength

This is the final event in the Festivus celebration. In the feats of strength, the head of the household is allowed to pick someone to wrestle with. That person must pin the head of the household or Festivus isn’t over. Jerry learns as he’s talking to George in the coffee shop, that this portion of Festivus usually ended with George crying. In “The Strike,” Kramer is initially picked to wrestle with Frank, but when Kramer decides to go back to work, saying that Festivus is “out there,” George has to step up and do it. He doesn’t want to, but Frank tells him to “stop crying and fight your father.”

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