One of Seinfeld‘s most enduring legacies, Festivus, was actually a real holiday celebrated by one of the writers on the show. Seinfeld has supplied so much to pop culture and the English lexicon, but Festivus has to rank high among the most memorable creations of the legendary comedy series.
Appearing in season 9, episode 10, “The Strike”, Festivus is the family heirloom of the Costanza family. Frank Costanza (Jerry Stiller) invented Festivus when George (Jason Alexander) was a young man and has been a source of frustration since. Humorously, the idea for the holiday came from someone’s real-life experience.
Seinfeld Writer Dan O’Keefe’s Family Really Celebrated Festivus Every Year
“The Strike” was written by Dan O’Keefe, Alec Berg, and Jeff Schaffer. O’Keefe is the one who brought Festivus to the show, as his family had actually celebrated the made-up holiday every year (via NYT). It was Dan’s father, Daniel O’Keefe, Sr., who coined the term “Festivus”, with the elder O’Keefe saying the name “just popped into my head“.
The holiday was originally celebrated to honor Daniel O’Keefe’s first date with his future wife, Deborah (via Archive). The line, “a Festivus for the rest of us”, was a reference to the elder O’Keefe’s mother, Jeanette, who passed away in 1976. The “rest of us” being those still among the living (via WashingtonPost).
O’Keefe Was Reluctant To Write About Festivus
Dan O’Keefe was reluctant to use his family tradition as a part of an episode of Seinfeld at first. In fact, Dan wasn’t the first one to share the story. His co-writers, Alec Berg and Jeff Schaffer, learned about the holiday through Dan’s brother, who let them in on the secret (via Uproxx).
Berg and Schaffer insisted that the story be included in the episode, and Dan eventually had to cave. It’s a humorous sort of poetry that Dan’s embarrassment of the holiday is reflected in George’s own distaste for Festivus. It seems like the idea of the holiday wasn’t the only thing from Dan’s life that made it into the episode.
“The Strike” Remains A Holiday Classic 28 Years Later
“The Strike” is the tenth episode of Seinfeld season 9, and it’s still one of the best episodes of the series. Beyond the Festivus business, “The Strike” includes some other very funny storylines, like Kramer (Michael Richards) getting (and then losing) his job at a bagel shop after 12 years on strike.
Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) accidentally loses her “free sandwich” card to a man she hands her number to, and Jerry (Seinfeld) begins dating a woman who looks very different depending on the lighting. These would all be hilarious Seinfeld stories on their own, but when put together and topped off with Festivus, you end up with something special.
