Happy Festivus for the REST OF US

This post will show up on December 21st, but I'm actually posting it 12/23. Happy Fesitvus for the REST of US. Some of you may not know that December 23rd is a very important holiday in the Virtue household. We've been Seinfeld fans forever and one of our favorite episodes is when Frank Costanza introduces the audience to Festivus--a holiday which replaces Christmas (except in our family we've just added it).

According to Frank Costanza, the Festivus celebration includes three major components: The tradition begins with a bare aluminum pole (The Festivus Pole), which Frank praises for its "very high strength-to-weight ratio." During Festivus, anunadorned aluminum pole is displayed, apparently in opposition to the commercialization of highly decorated Christmas trees, and because the holiday's creator, Frank Costanza, "find[s] tinsel distracting." Local customs vary and you may be able to decorate your pole withnon-threatening plain decorations, or ordinary green garland. At the Festivus dinner, each participant tells friends and familyall of the instances where they disappointed him or her that year (The Airing of Grievances). This is a family favorite. The head of the family tests his or her strength against one participant of the head's choosing in The Feats of Strength. Festivus is not considered over until the head of the family has been pinned to the ground. A participant is allowed to decline to attempt to pin the head of the family only if they have something better to do instead.

Just picture it, the aluminum pole in our living room in place of the Christmas tree, a cat fight around the table during our Airing of Grievances, and Dad and Kimmy wresting it out in the Feats of Strength. This is what the holiday season is all about.

Hope you all have a very happy Festivus. Stay tuned for pictures from Virtue Festivus 2005! If you're interested in starting your own Festivus tradition, here is the web address to order your own aluminum pole. http://www.festivuspoles.com/pages/festivuspoles.htm