The 25 Baubles of Pop Culture! Advent 2022 Day 18

Tonight marks the first night of Hanukkah. As with every Advent I do, I devote a day to the Festival of Lights as my wife is half-Jewish. For this post, I am going with the most Jewish sitcom in all of pop culture, Seinfeld. And yes, you heard me right. Instead of using the random generator, for this post, I did the selection. Let's begin.

In terms of officially licensed ornaments, there aren't very many. The main one I can find is this decoration from Hallmark. Released just this year, this ornament represents that puffy pirate shirt Jerry is forced to wear on a talk show. I don't really know why this is such an iconic scene from the series but people seem to  really love that episode. I like it because it bears the iconic read lettering over a yellow field logo of the sitcom.

There was another Hallmark ornament available and it's devoted to my favorite episode of the series- the Festivus episode. But I saw so many Festivus ornaments from Etsy type sellers that I liked better. If you want to see the official Festivus ornament, Google it.  (Hint- it looks like an ugly sweater) As for me, I'm sticking with the small business man!

Festivus was a holiday George's dad created in opposition to Christmas. Known as the holiday for the rest of us, Festivus involved hanging up a metal pole instead of a tree, airing of grievances towards your loved ones, capped off by the feats of strength. The late great Jerry Stiller really sells the absurdity of the made up holiday and that's why I am sharing this resin ornament of Frank Constanza bearing the Festivus pole from online seller, Christmas Mouse.

If you are looking for an ornament that you just can't look away from, may I suggest this one of Kramer's portrait. Produced on Pixel by a seller know as Doc Braham, this wooden ornament is available as a rectangular looking painting or in fun shapes like star, oval and Christmas Tree.

I also want to share this ornament created by a seller on Etsy devoted to the made up company, Vandelay Industries. When George's unemployment is about to run out, he lies to his case worker that he's interviewed with Vandelay Industries, a maker of fine latex products. Of course, the ruse doesn't pan out. But that's okay because George eventually lands a fairly sweet job working for the New York Yankees. 

For the DIY ornament, I'm going to talk you through making your own Festivus pole. You will need 2 1/2 pieces of balsa wood plank, a 3 inch long metal rod with a hole on top (can be found at Home Depot), a small piece of thin ribbon and some hot glue. First, take the planks and glue them into a cross-section. Then thread the ribbon through the eye of the metal rod and tie off. Next, glue the base on the pole into the center of the plank cross section. Now you are ready to use for the airing of those grievances when not hanging from the limb of your tree. And yes- I understand the irony of that last statement!

By the way, Festivus is held on December 23rd.

A Classic TV Christmas- Advent 2017 Day 23

Are you sick of the commercialization of Christmas?  Have you ever wanted to take off your shirt and just wrestle? Are you sick and tired of people and want a chance to tell them off? Do you wish that there was a special day just for you?

Then have I got the holiday episode you've been asking for!!!

It's December 23rd! That means it's Festivus- the holiday for the rest of us. 

To celebrate, we have to travel back to the Big Apple to learn of it's mystical, okay made-up, origins. From the hit television show Seinfeld, we first learn of Festivus from the December 18, 1997 episode titled The Strike. 

A lot of things happen in this episode. But it's the Festivus related stuff that has captured the attention of the nation. See, George's father hates Christmas. So, a long time back, he invented a holiday called Festivus. During this event, people must perform feats of strength (wrassle), air their grievances, and put up a bare aluminum pole (no trees here...)

When George makes up a phony charity so he can get out of giving holiday presents to his co-workers, his boss catches him in the lie. In order to not get fired, George has to take his boss to his parents house to witness the Festivus festivities. Friends Kramer, Elaine, and Jerry join along and it's complete insanity. 

Actually, I don't know which is crazier... this episode or the fact that it has caught on among fans and Christmas haters alike. A few years ago, the ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's created a Festivus flavor that was so freakin' amazing. I hope every year that it will return but alas, I think it was a one and done deal. And I keep telling my wife that one year I am gonig to put up a spotlight in front of the bare metal pole in our yard where out satellite dish once set and invite folks to air their grievances. 

Well, as my Advent gift to you, I present to you 2 gifts. First is the classic Seinfeld episode (sorry about the odd format) that debuted the concept of Festivus. Then a little primer on how to accurately celebrate the day. Who knows, maybe it'll score you an extra day off from work. 

Enjoy and until next time- Mer- uh HAPPY FESTIVUS!