Videos by ComicBook.com
When hearing Frank excitedly explain Festivus to a curious Kramer, it sounds like such a wild idea that one would be forgiven for believing it was something made up specifically for a sitcom. However, like some of the best Seinfeld episodes, “The Strike” is rooted in truth. Festivus is, in fact, a real-life holiday. It came from the mind of Daniel O’Keefe, father of Seinfeld writer Dan O’Keefe, to celebrate the anniversary of his first date with his wife. Initially, the younger O’Keefe was hesitant to build an episode around it (blocking Festivus out of his mind like a traumatic childhood memory), but he was encouraged by other members of the crew to go ahead with it.
Seinfeld Put Its Own Spin on Festivus
The Festivus Seinfeld fans see on “The Strike” is not a 1:1 recreation of the holiday festivities that took place in the O’Keefe household. Like any screen adaptation, there were some changes and embellishments to better fit the medium of television. Perhaps the biggest alteration is the presence of the Costanzas’ metal pole, which takes the place of a traditional Christmas tree. The O’Keefes never had a pole, but Daniel would nail a clock in a bag to the wall. Another key difference is that on Seinfeld, Festivus has a set date of December 23rd (coinciding with the Christmas season). Dan O’Keefe described Festivus as a “floating holiday” that took place whenever his father felt like having it.
A couple of O’Keefe traditions were incorporated into Seinfeld, however. They performed their own version of the “Feats of Strength” by having the children participate in wrestling matches with each other. The “Airing of Grievances” originated from Daniel’s practice of hiding a tape recorder and tricking family members into complaining about one another. These tapes were later played for all to hear.
