'Festivus' explained: Author describes the impact of 'Seinfeld' gag holiday 26 years later

After over two decades, Festivus continues to be the holiday that brings families closer together. Sort of.

As "Seinfeld" fans know, "Festivus" is a fictional celebration invented by George Costanza’s father, Frank, played by Jerry Stiller. The day takes place on Dec. 23 and typically involves the "airing of grievances," a large dinner, a bare aluminum pole in place of a tree and "feats of strength" between family members. Since the episode’s premiere in 1997, Festivus has taken a life of its own.

Journalist Allen Salkin originally documented its popularity in his 2005 book "Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us," but the day continues to enjoy popularity many years later. 

The "Seinfeld" gag "Festivus" was inspired by a tradition celebrated by series writer Dan O'Keefe's father. ((Photo by Dan Watson/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images))

"Festivus refers to the way that the common people would misbehave on official religious holidays," Salkin explained to Fox News Digital. "So if you think about Mardi Gras, the throwing of the beads, the drunkenness, this is Festivus-like behavior. And so, the word Festivus is for how people actually want to celebrate the holidays in December rather than all of this highfalutin sort of ritualistic ways that have been forced upon us since birth." 

'SEINFELD' HOLIDAY FESTIVUS IS FOR EVERYONE THIS YEAR

Salkin also cited the realism of the holiday as why it resonates with people.

He said, "In the Christmas movies, everybody holds hands, and they talk about how much they love each other and Junior gets a new set of baseball cards or whatever. But what actually happens is families start grousing at each other and complaining about things that they have. It’s like Frank says in the TV show, ‘I got a lot of problems with you people.’" 

"That is what actually happens in far more households across the world during the holidays… And it's human. It's a beautiful thing. We get to actually let these things come to the surface finally because we avoid that most of the year," he added.

Author Allen Salkin spoke with Fox News Digital on the holiday Festivus. (Fox News Digital/)

In a 2015 interview with Uproxx, "Seinfeld" writer Dan O’Keefe revealed that the holiday was based on a real holiday created and celebrated by his father Daniel O’Keefe. Though there were significant differences between the real and TV version, such as no aluminum pole or feats of strength, both encouraged an airing of grievances between family members.

Salkin similarly praised the show for likewise connecting to people even decades later.

"There's something eternal, even though they all get older in real life and the outfits, you know, the jeans are too loose, and the puffy shirt gets puffier. There's something about the nit-picking and the relationships, I think, which people keep connecting to," Salkin said.

The "Festivus" holiday came from the "Seinfeld" Season 9 episode "The Strike" (Andrew Eccles/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

JERRY SEINFELD TRAVELS TO ISRAEL TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR HOSTAGES, FAMILIES STILL MISSING LOVED ONES

"I think all ‘Seinfeld’ tries to teach you is that life can be really annoying, and it's kind of good to have friends, even if they're annoying. It's better than the alternative, and I think that keeps connecting with people, as does Festivus, because it's a holiday about nothing."

Salkin is currently the host of the "New Books In Food" podcast on the New Books Network, a consortium of author-interview podcast channels dedicated to public education.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP