A Day For “The Rest Of Us”?

Today is Festivus, a secular holiday of recent and curious origin. It was the brainchild of writer Dan O'Keefe, as a part of his own family's history, and whose son Daniel worked the idea into an episode of the NBC sitcom "Seinfeld." It is ostensibly designed for the benefit of those who were disillusioned by the commercialism of the Christmas season, and the pressures associated with it.

In the excerpt from the December 18, 1997 episode, Frank Costanza explains the tradition ...

Frank: "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."

Kramer: "What happened to the doll?"

Frank: "It was destroyed. But out of that a new holiday was born: a Festivus for the rest of us!"

Kramer: "That must have been some kind of doll."

Frank: "She was."

... which includes the unadorned aluminum "Festivus pole," and such rituals as the "Airing of Grievances" and the "Feats of Strength."

There is a holiday "for the rest of us." There has always been an alternative to the commercialism of the season. If you doubt its triumph, you will surely be convinced here tomorrow.

At least that's the idea.