Festivus! 2024

 

It's a Festivus for the rest of us.

Today marks the celebration of a very new holiday - Festivus.  Festivus was created for the 1997 episode of Seinfeld entitled "The Strike."  In the episode, it is revealed that George Costanza's family never really celebrated Christmas, but celebrated Festivus instead.  George's father, Frank, created the holiday after getting into a fight with another shopper over a doll one year.  Fed up with the commercial and religious aspects of Christmas, Frank set out to create his own celebration.  

Festivus is celebrated with a Festivus dinner, at which the family will partake in the Airing of Grievances and Feats of Strength.    The Airing of Grievances begins early into the dinner when Frank starts "I got a lotta problems with you people, and now you're going to hear about it!"  He then goes down around the table listing specific injuries.  The Feats of Strength is celebrated immediately after the dinner when the head of the household selects a person for a wrestling match.  Festivus then only ends when the head of household is pinned in the match.  Traditional Festivus decoration is a bare aluminum pole.

It's a comical holiday, but has gained some larger adoption.

We've celebrated Festivus, sort of, pretty regularly in our family, though our practices are a lot closer to Christmas.  Christmas Eve Eve has been our little family's Christmas.  Since we are usually at one of the grandparents' houses for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, December 23 was our opportunity to have dinner, exchange presents, and watch a Christmas movie.  We've taken to eating Chinese food, a nod to A Christmas Story.  We still exchange presents, though our movie has changed, switching from Love Actually pre-kids, to something a little more family friendly.

It's our little day and though we've moved up our celebration, we still will be partaking in a little Festivus of our own, as before.

However you are spending the day, I hope you have a very Happy Festivus and a Merry Christmas ahead.

Yuletide - Festivus 2022!

It's a Festivus for the rest of us.

Today marks the celebration of a very new holiday - Festivus.  Festivus was created for the 1997 episode of Seinfeld entitled "The Strike."  In the episode, it is revealed that George Costanza's family never really celebrated Christmas, but celebrated Festivus instead.  George's father, Frank, created the holiday after getting into a fight with another shopper over a doll one year.  Fed up with the commercial and religious aspects of Christmas, Frank set out to create his own celebration.  

Festivus is celebrated with a Festivus dinner, at which the family will partake in the Airing of Grievances and Feats of Strength.    The Airing of Grievances begins early into the dinner when Frank starts "I got a lotta problems with you people, and now you're going to hear about it!"  He then goes down around the table listing specific injuries.  The Feats of Strength is celebrated immediately after the dinner when the head of the household selects a person for a wrestling match.  Festivus then only ends when the head of household is pinned in the match.  Traditional Festivus decoration is a bare aluminum pole.

It's a comical holiday, but has gained some larger adoption.

We've celebrated Festivus, sort of, pretty regularly in our family, though our practices are a lot closer to Christmas.  Christmas Eve Eve has been our little family's Christmas.  Since we are usually at one of the grandparents' houses for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, December 23 was our opportunity to have dinner, exchange presents, and watch a Christmas movie.  We've taken to eating Chinese food, a nod to A Christmas Story.  We still exchange presents, though our movie has changed, switching from Love Actually pre-kids, to something a little more family friendly.

It's our little day and though we've moved up our celebration, we still will be partaking in a little Festivus of our own, as before.

However you are spending the day, I hope you have a very Happy Festivus and a Merry Christmas ahead.

The Sixth Day of Christmas

 Keeler Christmas Kickoff

Today, Keeler Christmas kicks off.  Since we split holidays with families, Christmas Day this year was with the Hamricks, so we spent that week leading into Christmas and the holidays with them.  This week has been back down in Buna with the Keeler family.  We've been in since Sunday evening and have been enjoying relaxing here and letting the kids play.  Taylor will get in from Austin tonight and will complete the family. 

We'll start tonight with a little fried shrimp at Granny Sheppard's.  

That will let us have our gift exchange tomorrow and celebrate a few things together.  We'll have Christmas, New Year's, and then we'll celebrate a nephew's birthday.  We take the time when we can when we're all together.

Another part of why Christmas has always been a season, at least while I've been married.  We've had Christmas as early as the 17th, and as late as January 15.  A reminder that while the date itself is a great moment to pause and reflect, to celebrate and enjoy, that same spirit can occur any day.  If home is where the heart is, the holidays are similar.

I hope this season has been enjoyable, whenever you have been able to celebrate and in whatever form it took.  Whether in person or virtual, whether on the day or whenever you could, the best of the season to you and yours.