The Story of Festivus

Thanks to the sitcom Seinfeld, "Festivus" became a house hold name that became a "Nationally" celebrated holiday. But did you know that it was actually a real thing celebrated by one of the shows staff members?

The episode titled "The Strike" first aired on December 18, 1997 on NBC. Cosmo Kramer, (Michael Richards), learns about "Festivus" from George Costanza’s father, Frank (Jerry Stiller). "Festivus" is celebrated on the 23rd of December and in lieu of a tree, it is celebrated with a pole.

Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way.

The origin of "Festivus" actually has a real back story behind it as writer Dan O'Keefe's father created the holiday when O'Keefe was eight years old. As in Seinfeld, the holiday is involves airing grievances and showing feats of strengths the Pole on the other hand was not included but was instead created for the show.

Originally, O'Keefe is not has to include his family's holiday into the show but, when other members of the Seinfeld staff found out about the oddness of Festivus they wanted him to include it in the Episode to share it with the rest of the world. O'Keefe shared his thoughts with Time Magazine after the episode aired and was shocked with how widely accepted "Festivus" had become.

Have we accidentally invented a cult?