Festivus pole found in an Irondale neighborhood near Elder St. in 2019. (Pat Byington/The Bama Buzz

Have you seen aluminum “poles” popping up around your neighborhood instead of Christmas trees today? If you have, your neighbors may be celebrating Festivus — the December 23rd parody national holiday inspired by the 1990s comedy sitcom Seinfeld.

Here are photos of two poles in Birmingham.

Never heard of Festivus? Here is the backstory.:

Festivus first appeared on Seinfeld during the 9th season on episode 10— titled “The Strike“.

Created by Frank Constanza, the father of Seinfeld’s best friend George Constanza, the holiday is celebrated two days before Christmas as a way to protest the rampant consumerism of the holiday season.

How do you celebrate?

Want to know the origins of the holiday? First watch this clip from the show.

Here are the rules:

Replace your Christmas tree with an aluminum pole
Gather your family around and tell them all the ways they have disappointed you over the past year. This is called—the airing of grievances!
After that is completed there are the Feats of Strength. This includes the head of the household challenging a person at the Festivus celebration to a wrestling match
Meanwhile, for dinner, you have meatloaf served over lettuce and for dessert a customary M&M decorated cake

And remember, the slogan… “A Festivus for the rest of us.”

Do you know of anyone celebrating Festivus in Alabama today? Please drop a comment in The Bama Buzz or a photo in the comment section.

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