Happy Festivus: Seinfeld Fans Celebrate Alternative Holiday

Seinfeld fans are celebrating the made-up holiday Festivus today (December 23, 2011), more than 13 years after the multi-award winning show aired its final new episode. The holiday peaked as the top Twitter trend on Friday, proving that the festive season "for the rest of us" is still alive and well.

It was born during the seasonal Seinfeld episode 'The Strike', which first aired on December 18, 1997, with Frank Costanza, played by Jerry Stiller, created Festivus as an alternative to the traditional customs of Christmas. Frank explained how the holiday had been born long ago after he had tried to buy a doll for his son (played by Jason Alexander) but had to fight with another man for the last one. He declared, "Out of that a new holiday was born: a Festivus for the rest of us!" Other stapes of the fictional holiday include erecting a 'Festivus Pole' instead of a Christmas tree and airing grievances with family members, instead of spreading love, happiness and thanks. One Festivus devotee told Twitter followers today, "Happy Festivus to all my friends and followers! The Airing of Grievances will take place later tonight right here on Twitter", while another wrote, "HAPPY FESTIVUS! Have a lovely day airing your grievances, working the traditional Festivus pole, and engaging in feats of strength!". Another Seinfeld fan aptly noted, "Happy Festivus everyone! But every day on Twitter feels like Festivus since everyone airs their grievances all the time".

Seinfeld, largely co-written by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, ran from July 1989 to May 1998, winning over 40 awards along the way.