# How early is too early for my Festivus Pole? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 10, 2008, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627 "2008-12-10T22:27:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627/1 "2008-12-10T22:27:51Z")
My manager is giving me equal time for Festivus festivities. The Airing of Grievances is a year long activity among the staff, and Feats of Strength are still being cleared with HR, but when is too early to display the Festivus Pole in the office? The Christmas Tree is up already, FWIW. Thanks. Crap, I mispelled how in the thread title. If a mod can change it, they’ll be off this years list of grievances. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627/2 "2008-12-10T22:34:08Z")
If the Christmas tree is up, then the Festivus pole can be erected. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627/3 "2008-12-10T23:00:59Z")
Like I said elsewhere, it looks like Santa threw up in our office. Time for a Festivus pole to offset all that–go for it! ---
**Author:** ![Apocalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627/4 "2008-12-10T23:02:30Z")
What is Festivus? ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627/5 "2008-12-10T23:09:58Z")
> [@Apocalypso](#): > > What is Festivus? Time to watch some [Seinfeld classics](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festivus). ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627/6 "2008-12-10T23:14:33Z")
Did you complete the Feats of Strength last year? (defined of course as the head of household being pinned in a wrestling match) If not then it is still Festivus and will continue to be! That makes it perfectly acceptable to have a Festivus pole erected. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627/7 "2008-12-10T23:24:31Z")
Don’t forget not to decorate the Festivus pole. ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627/8 "2008-12-10T23:25:04Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > Did you complete the Feats of Strength last year? (defined of course as the head of household being pinned in a wrestling match) If not then it is still Festivus and will continue to be! That makes it perfectly acceptable to have a Festivus pole erected. I’ve always wondered how the Feats of Strength works for households that are only one person. I shared my old apartment with a few other guys, so we just got into a drunken brawl until we were all too tired to continue (we couldn’t agree who was head of the household). But now I live totally alone and visiting family is not an option. Should I just invite friends to my apartment and demand one of them wrestles me? ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Cream\_Conquest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@Ice\_Cream\_Conquest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Cream_Conquest)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627/9 "2008-12-11T00:13:18Z")
> [@seodoa](#): > > I’ve always wondered how the Feats of Strength works for households that are only one person. I shared my old apartment with a few other guys, so we just got into a drunken brawl until we were all too tired to continue (we couldn’t agree who was head of the household). But now I live totally alone and visiting family is not an option. Should I just invite friends to my apartment and demand one of them wrestles me? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627/10 "2008-12-11T01:05:55Z")
Fixed title. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627/11 "2008-12-11T14:58:39Z")
Festivus is about eschewing the material obsessions of the Christmas season. Therefore, in my book, the Festivus pole shouldn’t be erected until the actual day of Festivus (December 23rd), so that the showiness of the holiday doesn’t carry on any longer than necessary. ---
**Author:** ![flex727](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/258eb7/32.png) [@flex727](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flex727)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627/12 "2008-12-11T15:53:21Z")
[You might want to check with the state of Washington and see what they have to say.](http://www.komonews.com/news/local/35616504.html) :eek: ---
**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 11, 2008, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627/13 "2008-12-11T15:59:10Z")
The important thing is to make a donation in your co-workers’ name to the Human Fund. ---
**Author:** ![shallora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@shallora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shallora)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627/14 "2008-12-11T16:24:26Z")
Festivus . . . for the rest of us! ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627/15 "2008-12-11T18:24:25Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > Festivus is about eschewing the material obsessions of the Christmas season. Therefore, in my book, the Festivus pole shouldn’t be erected until the actual day of Festivus (December 23rd), so that the showiness of the holiday doesn’t carry on any longer than necessary. This is a very interesting way to look at it… However, I’m pretty much of the belief that “unadorned” satisfies the eschewing of material obsessions, to borrow a phrase. Especially considering the pole is leftover from a fencing project at the house three years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627/16 "2008-12-11T18:28:59Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > This is a very interesting way to look at it… > > However, I’m pretty much of the belief that “unadorned” satisfies the eschewing of material obsessions, to borrow a phrase. Especially considering the pole is leftover from a fencing project at the house three years ago. For those of us not blessed with such leftovers: [http://festivuspoles.com/pages/Festivuspoles.htm](http://festivuspoles.com/pages/Festivuspoles.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627/17 "2008-12-11T18:38:58Z")
My pole is festive…all year long. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627/18 "2008-12-11T20:07:38Z")
> [@Yeticus\_Rex](#): > > My pole is festive…all year long. Do you ever tie a ribbon bow around it? ---
**Author:** ![feppytweed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/feppytweed/32/4280_2.png) [@feppytweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/feppytweed)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627/19 "2008-12-11T21:07:15Z")
The Human Fund. Money for People. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627/20 "2008-12-11T22:04:53Z")
Ya know, here in Las Vegas, women dance around Festivus poles year round. We take our holidays seriously here. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-early-is-too-early-for-my-festivus-pole/476627.md?page=2)