Photograph by Kevin A. Roberts
It’s been more than a decade since Seinfeld went off the air, but a few stalwarts are hanging on to the odd tradition of “Festivus.” Festivus, you may recall, was character Frank Costanza’s answer to the commercialization and excessive hoopla of the Christmas season. (“Festivus—for the rest of us.”) His alternative holiday, to be celebrated December 23, featured a bare pole instead of a tree, the “airing of grievances” instead of carols, and a “test of strength” concluding with a bizarre, symbolic wrestling match.
Jamey Stegmaier is gearing up to host the seventh annual Festivus party in his Central West End condo. He says the airing of grievances is his favorite part. Some past choice complaints, viewable at jameystegmaier.com: “the white crusties that milk bottles leave in the fridge,” “that ‘Thames’ is pronounced ‘Tems,’” and “Facebook friend requests for people I went to high school with who never talked to me in high school.”
Stegmaier, who’s director of operations for the Catholic Student Center at Washington University, adds that he uses an aluminum lamp instead of a towering Festivus pole, and he’s replaced feats of strength with the more party-friendly “feats of drinking.”
“People don’t really want to get down on the ground and wrestle with people and be the center of attention, so the more casual drinking games have gone over a lot better,” he reports. “Last year, I invented a drinking game that’s a lot like beer pong, but it’s sort of a playground-style ‘beer four-square.’ I think we’ll
do it again this year.”
