It's beginning to look a lot like Festivus
You've heard more versions of "Jingle Bell Rock" than you can bear.
You can't imagine smelling another cinnamon candle or listening to another cash register. The Christmas season can be exhausting - even disenchanting for those who are fed up with spending an absurd amount of money and time on gifts.
• My 2006 grievances
When: 8 p.m. Thursday on TBS
Plot: An increase in the minimum wage is enough to finally meet the demands of the striking employees of H&H Bagels, and as such, Kramer announces that after 12 years, he's going back to work. Jerry meets an attractive woman at a party, but when he later tries to date her, she doesn't look nearly as good. Elaine's use of a fake phone number backfires when she loses a card that will entitle her to a free sandwich. George tries to get away with giving away fake donation cards as Christmas gifts at work; and, much to his chagrin, his father decides to revive Festivus, a unique holiday he'd invented years earlier.
Thus Festivus was born. It became known to the public in December 1997 when character Frank Costanza (Jerry Stiller) explained the origins of this celebration in the hit comedy "Seinfeld."
In the episode, Costanza talked of his battle for the last doll in a department store one Christmas season: "As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way.
"But out of that, a new holiday was born ... a Festivus for the rest of us!"
So if you've received a useless gift, like a worn shoe, or have been slammed to the ground without provocation, you've celebrated Festivus. It is the holiday for the cheap, lazy and silly. Actually, it's a day for people to act inane.
In a way, Wade Ebert has been celebrating Festivus for years - long before the holiday became a national punchline on "Seinfeld." Ebert, a 40-year-old small-business owner from Springfield, has been hosting a Festivus bash for 14 years. More than 600 people are expected to attend this year's party.
"I know, you look at the timeline - we've been hosting this party for 14 years and the episode aired on 1997. We definitely predate the episode," said Ebert, whose party will take place Dec. 23. "When we started to host this, we wanted everyone to meet at a small, stinky bar. It didn't work as good after a while because more and more people were showing up each year. So we moved it to the Hilton, and with all that space we started to get creative, like having the mechanical bull and the airing of the grievances.
"We began to market the party, and when Festivus came along it just seemed like the perfect fit," Ebert said. "I didn't want to call it a holiday party because if I was a supreme deity I'd be (upset) because there was nothing holy for it."
What you'll see at this party are inflatable sumo pits with friends engaged in battle wearing inflatable suits that look like marshmallows. Only two concussions have been reported so far, Ebert said.
Some people will show up in their best black tie and gowns; others might wear a tunic. Tinsel is forbidden. Complaining and taunting are encouraged. A mechanical bull will be on hand along, with a mechanical surfboard. The dull Festivus pole is on hand. Rock bands perform throughout the day.
Oh, and alcohol is a major feature at this bash.
"It gets stranger every year," said Sean Burns, a promoter of the event and regular attendee. "I think there were just so many people out there that had as twisted and sick an imagination as Wade."
Other people have joined in on the fun. Jennifer Galdes, a public relations manager in Chicago, has hosted Festivus for several years now but is putting an end to the party.
"I'm a little sad. (Festivus) has run its course," said Galdes, who began hosting the party in her Chicago apartment. "It was actually a big hit. We actually rolled out like a 20-foot roll of white paper that you see at the Italian restaurants and give people markers to air their grievances."
Galdes said she discontinued the party because it was becoming too much work. Her decision had nothing to do with the recent racial tirade by Michael Richards. Like Ebert's bash in Springfield, Galdes said everyone created some weird tradition.
"If people drank more, some crazy stuff came out of it," she said. "We had a lot of fun."
Contact Mike Mitchell at 630-416-5279 or mmitchell@scn1.com /a> /a> /a>
