It's a Festivus Miracle!

We here at DC Like a Local pride ourselves on our inclusiveness, and not just for holidays that begin with "ch". Fans of Seinfeld are no doubt familiar with the bare bones of Festivus, a holiday celebrated by the Constanza family in lieu of the overly-commercialized Christmas holiday. However, Festivus predates Seinfeld, with the earliest known celebration being held in February of 1966, by Dan O'Keefe, the father of Daniel O'Keefe, a Seinfeld writer. The origins of this important cultural phenomenon are laid out by Daniel in his book, The Real Festivus. Much has changed since those early days, and, like all holidays, Festivus has grown and adapted. But much as Coca Cola helped to standardize Christmas, the Seinfeld episode "The Strike" preformed a similar task for Festivus. Festivus is an inherently individualistic celebration, but mainstream adherents have broken it down to a few basic components: the Festivus Pole, the Festivus feast, the Airing of Grievances, and Feats of Strength. If you wish to know more, or need pointers on starting your own Festivus, I recommend Allen Salkin's Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us.

But how does this affect your trip to Washington? Getting through airport security with your custom made Festivus Pole would simply add more disappointments to your list of grievances. And while the Federal government is tripping over themselves to put up Christmas trees all over town and have even deigned to provide a National Menorah, they're a little late to the party for Festivus. Fear not, one of Washington's most eclectic and fascinating neighborhoods, Adams Morgan is hosting Festivus for the Rest of Us '09.

This is their second year the Adams Morgan Business Improvement District has hosted Festivus. Located at the corner of 18th ST and Columbia Ave, they offer a forum to post your greatest disappointments from the past year. Last year's provided a real insight into the pathos of a city--far more than the sterile monuments and memorials downtown ever could. The Festivus Pole, er, Kiosk is up now, and will accept grievances through January 4th. For a real treat, come every Saturday and Sunday (through January 4th) at noon when a town crier will Air Grievances from the previous week. And, as no Festivus celebration would be complete without Feats of Strength, folks from a local gym, Mint Condition Yourself, will be obliging the crowd with professional demonstrations. Footage from this weekend is already up, don't let your grievances go un-aired.

Directions are available here.

Comments

[Lauren S. Kahn]

Hey, Tim, Chanukah, Hanukka--or however you spell it--doesn't always start with a "ch".