# Have I got it right about Festivus?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-i-got-it-right-about-festivus/243383
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [May 4, 2004, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-i-got-it-right-about-festivus/243383 "2004-05-04T00:36:20Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2004, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-i-got-it-right-about-festivus/243383/1 "2004-05-04T00:36:20Z")
Ralphs is having a sale on Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Perhaps coincidentally, there are very few flavors available. While we were picking over what there was (Brownie Batter turned out to be darn good!), I lamented the fact that Festivus-For-the-Rest-of-Us is only available in December.
Mr. Rilch: “What does that mean, anyway?”
Me: “…It’s from a _Seinfeld_ episode.”
A halting explanation followed, in which I, who have never viewed a full episode of _Seinfeld_, told him that, AFAIR, Festivus was a holiday invented by Costanza(?) for athiests(?) who felt guilty about observing Christmas/Chanukah/whatever but still wanted a winter holiday(?). “…Anyway, it’s great ice cream.”
So how close to, or far from, the mark was I?
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2004, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-i-got-it-right-about-festivus/243383/2 "2004-05-04T00:44:10Z")
Some links for you:
[http://www.seinfeld-fan.net/festivus.php](http://www.seinfeld-fan.net/festivus.php)
[http://www.karber.net/seinfeld/festivus/](http://www.karber.net/seinfeld/festivus/)
It wasn’t guilt, but disgust at how greedy people had become around the holidays.
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### Author:  [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2004, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-i-got-it-right-about-festivus/243383/3 "2004-05-04T03:12:21Z")
I stand enlightened! Thank you.
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### Author:  [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2004, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-i-got-it-right-about-festivus/243383/4 "2004-05-04T03:26:07Z")
What’s a holiday, after all, without an Airing of Grievances, followed by Feats of Strength!
😃
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### Author:  [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2004, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-i-got-it-right-about-festivus/243383/5 "2004-05-04T04:03:18Z")
Believe it or not, that episode just aired. I finished watching it, turned off the TV, came to the forum and saw a Festivus thread.
\It’s a Festivus miracle!\ 🙂
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### Author:  [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2004, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-i-got-it-right-about-festivus/243383/6 "2004-05-04T04:23:54Z")
I’m not familiar with this particular flavor. What’s in it?
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### Author:  [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2004, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-i-got-it-right-about-festivus/243383/7 "2004-05-04T04:34:12Z")
Gingerbread and cinnamon in vanilla. (I think. By definition, I don’t get it often enough to remember precisely.)
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### Author:  [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2004, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-i-got-it-right-about-festivus/243383/8 "2004-05-04T04:45:51Z")
The Ben & Jerry [website](http://www.benjerry.com/our_company/press_center/press/festivus1127.html) describes it as:
> [@](#):
>
> Each pint of Festivus contains a sassy batch of brown sugar ice cream loaded with gingerbread cookies and a ginger caramel swirl.
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### Author:  [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2004, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-i-got-it-right-about-festivus/243383/9 "2004-05-04T06:41:20Z")
Sounds weird. Then again, so is Festivus.
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### Author:  [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2004, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-i-got-it-right-about-festivus/243383/10 "2004-05-04T10:45:56Z")
I had no idea it was a real B&J flavor! I must have!
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### Author:  [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2004, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-i-got-it-right-about-festivus/243383/11 "2004-05-04T16:36:05Z")
We have a Festivus party every year, complete with bigass aluminum pole (the centre pole of a big marquee tent). Last year, I tried to order a whole case of the Ben & Jerry “Festivus” ice-cream, but the distributor couldn’t get it into Canada for me, despite the fact that they supply about 10 other B&G flavours.
Guess what my topic was at the Airing of Grievances?
“Festivus. It’s for the rest of us.”