How do I Throw a Festivus Party?
Festivus was made popular on the "Seinfeld" comedy in the 1990s. The character Frank Costanza developed the holiday as a substitute for Christmas. Instead of celebrating the traditional holiday season, Festivus relies on non-commercial gifts and the holiday is celebrated on December 23. The holiday includes events like "Feats of Strength" and the "Airing of Grievances." Many people celebrate the holiday in degrees of seriousness due to the influential "Seinfeld" episode and the book---entitled "The Real Festivus"---written by former Seinfeld writer Daniel O'Keefe. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Send out invitations to your guests. Make the invitations humorous by including a picture of Frank Costanza or the slogan "Festivus for the Rest of Us."
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Place an aluminum pole in an upright position in your home. The "Festivus" pole is used in place of a Christmas tree. Keep the pole steady by placing it in a terra cotta pot filled with soil or rocks. Do not decorate the pole with tinsel or other decorations because it goes against the Festivus tradition.
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Provide food for the Festivus meal. Encourage guests to bring their favorite dish, or provide food that the guests will enjoy instead of serving food that appears lavish and expensive. Serve snack foods and alcoholic drinks as well.
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Encourage the guests to participate in an "Airing of Grievances." During this activity, guests eat the Festivus meal and each person tells the rest of the guests why they have disappointed them over the year.
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Host a "Feats of Strength" activity for the guests. During the "Seinfeld" episode, guests wrestled the head of the household to the floor, and the holiday would end only if the guests actually pin the head of household to the floor. You can offer alternatives to this activity, especially if you want to avoid injuries at the event. Host a thumb wrestling contest or arm wrestling for guests instead.
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