Jerry Seinfeld Talks About The Legacy Of Festivus And It's Hilarious Origin

Tuesday is Dec. 23, which means not only is it two days before Christmas, it's Festivus, the day that all Seinfeld fans have circled on their calendars.

The holiday "for the rest of us" originally came from the 1997 Seinfeld episode called "The Strike," and on the show, it was started by Frank Costanza (the late, great Jerry Stiller) as an alternative to the increasingly commercialized Christmas holiday.

It's an absolute classic episode that sees Kramer's 12-year strike from his job at a bagel joint come to an end, and George avoids buying gifts for his co-workers by making donations to the completely made-up "Human Fund."

But, of course, the biggest and most enduring part of the episode is Festivus.

On Festivus, Jerry Seinfeld himself shared a video of him talking about the origin and legacy of the holiday at a stand-up show that happened this past weekend at the Beacon Theater in New York.

During a portion of the show where Seinfeld offers to take questions from the audience, one guy yelled "Festivus!" which, in classic Jerry Seinfeld style, he noted was not a question.

"The Festivus speech Frank Costanza (Stiller) does is one of my favorite things of those whole nine years (that the show was on)," Seinfeld said. "The thing about, ‘I reached for a doll, but another man reached at the same time. As I rained blows upon him, I thought to myself there must be a better way.’" 

The comedy legend remarked that the holiday has had more staying power than anything else from the show's run, noting that it always pops up all around the internet every Dec. 23.

But, as most massive Seinfeld fans, Festivus wasn't something that was simply made for the show. It was something writer Danny O'Keefe's father actually created.

"It's a true thing," Seinfeld said. "The writer of that episode, Danny O'Keefe, his father did invent that holiday. 'Festivus: a holiday for the rest of us.'"

So, now set up your Festivus pole and prepare for the Airing of Grievances and the Feats of Strength.

Happy Festivus to all!