December 23rd

HAPPY FESTIVUS!! What is Festivus, you may ask? Well, if you are a fan of the TV series "Seinfeld" you already know the answer. In one of the episodes of that long running series, Frank Costanza, the father of George, introduces the rest of the gang to his self proclaimed December 23rd celebration ("A Festivus for the Rest of Us") which rails against the rampant commercialization of the other December holidays.

To celebrate Festivus, one puts up an unadorned aluminum pole (no tinsel!) holds the ritual airing of grievances, and the feats of strength. (The holiday isn't over until the head of the household has been pinned to the ground.)

While this may sound like a wacky TV holiday, it has some basis in rela life. One of the writers of Seinfeld did indeed have a father who created the holiday of Festivus for his family back in the 1960's, and it made its way onto an episode of the show.

Since the airing of that program, Festivus has taken on a life of its own. Parties are held all over the world. Ben & Jerry's even made a Festivus ice cream a few years back!

To honor this unique holiday, I'm writing to the man who played Frank Costanza and one of the other actors from that episode. (He played George's boss, who attended the Costanza Festivus dinner.)

Jerry Stiller

Daniel VonBargen