The REAL Festivus with Seinfeld Writer Dan O’Keefe + Why Families Create Bizarre Holiday Customs

Jason will forever be associated with the 166th episode of Seinfeld, which featured Festivus…the holiday where families express their disappointment in each other, then demonstrate feats of strength around an unadorned, aluminum pole. For Seinfeld writer Dan O'Keefe, the horrors of the real-life Festivus, invented by his mad genius father, were traumatizing events. Really, no Really!

Since the Festivus episode aired, it has been celebrated by a multitude of families, as an alternative to traditional holidays. But Festivus isn’t the only neuvo-holiday tradition; 20% of Americans say their families celebrate similarly bizarre holiday traditions.

To discuss the true origin and lesser-known details of his family’s holiday and talk about the phenomenon that Festivus has become, we invited Dan O'Keefe to reminisce and reflect. Dan is a writer and producer, who in addition to working on Seinfeld also worked on The Drew Carey Show, The Tonight Show, Married…with Children, Bevis and Butthead, Silicon Valley, Veep and many more.

 

ON THIS EPISODE:

• How Seinfeld showrunners had to pressure Dan to get his Festivus story.
• The bizarre origins of other holiday traditions.
• Proper Festivus music, including Italian Chip Monk songs, and the music of the Irish Republican Army.
• The Festivus Pole and the other, bonkers, real-life symbols!
• Dan’s out-of-body experience…making the Festivus episode.
• Jason and Dan’s memories of filming the Festivus dinner scene.
• Revealed: The proper main course for Festivus Dinner!
• Dan’s father’s reaction to the episode was surprising.
• The actual meaning of “a Festivus for the rest of us.”
• Dan’s dad created other, even weirder, holidays.
• Googleheim: The Roman influences of modern-day Christmas.

 

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