My family loves holidays.  We especially look forward to the Thanksgiving – Christmas Holiday season.  We love the time we get to spend with people who are important to us, the food, the decorations, and the gifts are nice too.  Every year after our New Years Day celebration we always feel like the holidays went by way too fast and it’s mildly depressing to think that we will have to wait a whole year for the next Holiday Season.  In 2008 we decided to change that and start a new Family Festivus tradition.

We have great respect for Frank Costanza, George Costanza’s father on the sitcom Seinfeld, who is the creator of Festivus, the holiday for the rest of us. However, we have decided to enhance his Festivus process to make it work better for us.  So, here are the steps to starting your own Family Festivus!

1. Pick a date.

We chose Presidents Day, this year it is February 20^th.  Our reason for choosing that day is two-fold: 1) it’s a weekday which adds to the special holiday feel and 2) Presidents Day seems like a day that needs some celebratory help.

1. Get and put up a Festivus Pole.

The Festivus Pole is simply an aluminum or silver pole with tinsel on it.  You can add other decorations to your Festivus Pole if you would like.  A Festivus Pole can be purchased on-line or you can choose to make your own.  Your Festivus Pole should be put up at least seven days prior to Festivus. The most important thing is to make sure that is put up in your home in an open area so that anyone who comes to your home can enjoy it as well.

1. Airing of Compliments.

Frank Costanza celebrated the “Airing of Grievances” which for us isn’t necessary since that happens naturally at our home.  We have decided to go with the “Airing of Compliments” and we have Compliment Cards which will be signed by all family members and friends who recognize Festivus.  The cards are place by the Festivus Pole with a pen that is secured by a string or small chain.  Obviously, there are several ways that a family could choose to honor the Airing of Compliments requirement.

1. Feats of Skill

Frank Costanza celebrated “Feats of Strength” and his family and friends would wrestle until the opponent cried.  There is no doubt that “strength” can be impressive however we have found “skills” to work better for us – especially Guitar Hero skills.  To meet the Feats of Skill requirement we would have a Guitar Hero Tournament to determine who had the best Guitar Hero skills.  There is always an appropriate reward for the winner and it is possible that there could still be crying.  Again, every family could easily make their own determination as to how they would like to meet the Feats of Skill requirement.

1. The Festivus Gift

We like gifts.  It seems to us that there should be a family oriented gift under the Festivus Pole when we get up on Festivusmorning.  However, the gift is optional since there is no Festivus Santa Claus.

1. The Festivus Meal

For the Costanza’s the Festivus meal consisted of spaghetti or ham with red sauce; it’s hard to tell which it really is.  We chose to let each person in the family pick one favorite item to be included in the Festivus Meal.  The most important part of the meal is making sure that you have a silver candle that resembles a Festivus Pole for the table centerpiece.

1. The Festivus Miracle

It wouldn’t be a holiday without the hope of a miracle!  If you choose to doubt that a miracle could happen you will destroy the opportunity for a miracle to occur for sure.  So, for the entire day you must agree to believe in miracles and look for one to happen.  If a miracle doesn’t happen it just means that a miracle didn’t happen, you can still enjoy your Festivus.

Now that you know everything you need to know about a Family Festivus, why not consider starting your own Family Festivus Tradition.  Be sure to look for Family Festivus Pictures on the SuperHeroHomes Facebook page.  In fact, if you choose to have a February Festivus, send us a picture of your family and friends around your Festivus Pole.  We would love to include your pictures as well.

Happy Festivus!