# Festivus pole erected on government property adjacent to manger and menorah **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 12, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797 "2012-12-12T05:07:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797/1 "2012-12-12T05:07:43Z")
[Too funny not to share.](http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/Festivus.jpeg) > [@](#): > > Out in Deerfield Beach, on a piece of government-owned property, an 8.5-foot-tall tower of beer cans is looming over baby Jesus. > **\** > Waist-high block letters reading “WTF” in candy-cane stripes would be hard to sell as being in the holiday spirit and could be deemed offensive. A Flying Spaghetti Monster was too esoteric and not the easiest thing to build. Stevens found his answer in a case of Pabst Blue Ribbon. > **[How an 8.5-Foot-Tall Festivus Pole Made Out of Beer Cans Ended Up Next to...](https://www.browardpalmbeach.com/news/how-an-85-foot-tall-festivus-pole-made-out-of-beer-cans-ended-up-next-to-baby-jesus-in-deerfield-6469604)** > > Out in Deerfield Beach, on a piece of government-owned property, an 8.5-foot-tall tower of beer cans is looming over baby Jesus. No, this isn't some rogue Art Basel installation that crossed the county line. It's Chaz Stevens' salute to the... ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797/2 "2012-12-12T18:25:28Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > [Too funny not to share.](http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/Festivus.jpeg) > > [How an 8.5-Foot-Tall Festivus Pole Made Out of Beer Cans Ended Up Next to Baby Jesus in Deerfield | The Daily Pulp | South Florida | Broward Palm Beach New Times | The Leading Independent News Source in Broward-Palm Beach, Florida](http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2012/12/how_an_85-foot-tall_festivus_p.php) The comment war between the person mentioned in the article and his haters is also very amusing. I stand on the side of unadorned poles. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797/3 "2012-12-12T18:30:10Z")
Where I work, holiday decorations were forbidden. Then starting one year, they were not only permitted but we were encouraged to outdo every other department to vie for first place. We won every year that we participated. (We stopped because the person who did 95% of the work got tired of it.) One year our theme was all of the December holidays. Hell yeah we had a Festivus pole! (It was really just a cardboard tube covered in foil.) ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797/4 "2012-12-12T18:36:31Z")
> [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](#): > > The comment war between the person mentioned in the article and his haters is also very amusing. Well, it IS the time for the Airing of Grievances. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797/5 "2012-12-12T18:39:52Z")
The fun part is when the mayor comes out for the airing of grievances and you get to wrestle him to the ground. What’s weird is I see Fesivus poles infront of almost all government buildings. And to make things worse, they put flags at the top of them. Ever hear of separation of church and state, people? Where the hell is the ACLU? ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797/6 "2012-12-12T18:47:33Z")
That’s not a real Festivus pole. It’s too decorated. It needs to be plain. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797/7 "2012-12-12T18:49:12Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > That’s not a real Festivus pole. It’s too decorated. It needs to be plain. Festivus is getting way too commercial. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797/8 "2012-12-12T18:50:40Z")
If this reminds people to donate to the Human Fund, can it be a bad thing? ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797/9 "2012-12-12T18:53:36Z")
I got a lot of problems with you people! ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797/10 "2012-12-12T19:02:59Z")
I didn’t know that PBR had a high strength-to-weight ratio. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797/11 "2012-12-12T19:31:15Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > [How an 8.5-Foot-Tall Festivus Pole Made Out of Beer Cans Ended Up Next to Baby Jesus in Deerfield | The Daily Pulp | South Florida | Broward Palm Beach New Times | The Leading Independent News Source in Broward-Palm Beach, Florida](http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2012/12/how_an_85-foot-tall_festivus_p.php) > [@](#): > > … self-proclaimed attention whore and “rabid atheist”… Oh dear, rabid atheists? What’s next, rabid anti-dentites? ---
**Author:** ![gregorio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@gregorio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gregorio)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797/12 "2012-12-12T19:54:54Z")
> [@Aquadementia](#): > > The fun part is when the mayor comes out for the airing of grievances and you get to wrestle him to the ground. Well that is an assumption on my part. With a name like Peggy and all. But still, she should be prepared for grievances and feats of strength. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797/13 "2012-12-12T20:13:38Z")
> [@gregorio](#): > > Well that is an assumption on my part. With a name like Peggy and all. But still, she should be prepared for grievances and feats of strength. She shouldn’t have run for the job if she can’t fulfill all the responsibilities. But in all seriousness, by tradition it would be her daughter that gets first crack. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797/14 "2012-12-12T20:16:51Z")
I could never figure why Mr. Costanza didn’t air his grievances at Thanksgiving, like a normal person. “As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way!” ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797/15 "2012-12-12T20:25:15Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Festivus is getting way too commercial. Many Festivuses ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. As I drove to the store, I saw a highly-distracting Festivus pole- but so did another man and he drove right into me. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way. The pole was destroyed, and out of that a new holiday was born…eh, who’m I kidding; I’m too lazy to invent a holiday, so let’s just call it Apathetikkah and do nothing but drink. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797/16 "2012-12-12T20:26:29Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Festivus is getting way too commercial. You’re right. It takes all the meaning out of the holiday. And I hate people who leave their Festivus Pole up until the equinox. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797/17 "2012-12-12T21:26:45Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > let’s just call it Apathetikkah and do nothing but drink. Would Apathetikkah last for 8 nights? If so, I’m in. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797/18 "2012-12-12T21:38:51Z")
> [@Karen\_Lingel](#): > > Would Apathetikkah last for 8 nights? Who cares? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797/19 "2012-12-12T22:17:43Z")
Well, not that I really care, but if I had to say, Apathetikkah only lasts a day. I don’t have the will to do anything for 8 nights. And so I now declare with half-assed indifference: December the 22nd may or may not now and forever be marked as a day of staying home and drinking, with other people or alone-- I don’t really care. In fact, what the hell do I care if you drink or not. Or even stay home for that matter. “Apathetikkah: Meh.” ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797/20 "2012-12-12T23:17:54Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Well, not that I really care, but if I had to say, Apathetikkah only lasts a day. I don’t have the will to do anything for 8 nights. > > And so I now declare with half-assed indifference: December the 22nd may or may not now and forever be marked as a day of staying home and drinking, with other people or alone-- I don’t really care. In fact, what the hell do I care if you drink or not. Or even stay home for that matter. > “Apathetikkah: Meh.” [Takes a drink] I can’t bring myself to feel any strong emotion about this holiday. If I get the day off I’ll probably just spend the day drinking beer and playing video games. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivus-pole-erected-on-government-property-adjacent-to-manger-and-menorah/643797.md?page=2)