Newspaper Page Text
A2 Sunday, December 25, 2022
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com
Festivus was real holiday from
childhood of‘Seinfeld’ writer
BY ROB TORNOE
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Break out the aluminum pole from the
crawl space and grease up for the feats of
strength, it’s time for Festivus!
If you’re not a “Seinfeld” fan: Festivus,
celebrated on Dec. 23 “to get a leg up on
Christmas,” is a holiday alternative that
replaces high credit card bills with the air
ing of petty grievances.
The fake holiday that somehow became
a real celebration originated in “Seinfeld’s”
final season, which celebrates its 25th
anniversary this year. Festivus originally
appeared in “The Strike,” which you can
stream on Netflix or catch in syndication.
But before it was springing from the
warped mind of Frank Costanza, Festivus
was an all-too real tradition former “Sein
feld” writer Dan O’Keefe and his family
endured.
“My brothers and I agreed not to talk
about what a ... insane childhood we had,
particularly, the apotheosis of that, this
made up, weird-ass holiday celebrated in
the strangest of ways that my father took
from a Latin adjective,” O’Keefe told The
Inquirer.
For years, O’Keefe kept Festivus a secret
from his friends and colleagues. That
changed when O’Keefe became a writer
on “Seinfeld,” the first of many Festivus
miracles.
There was no aluminum pole. It had no
official date. It had absolutely nothing to do
with Christmas.
But there were grievances.
O’Keefe said Festivus was invented by
his late father, Daniel O’Keefe, who was a
writer and editor at Reader’s Digest. What
started as a celebration of his parents’ first
date morphed into an unpredictable ritual
held on random dates where family mem
bers had to talk about things that happened
during the previous year. Festivus also fea
tured depressing themes, O’Keefe said, such
as “Is there light at the end of the tunnel?”
Like Frank, O’Keefe’s father would
record the Festivus proceedings. He was
inspired by Samuel Beckett’s “Krapp’s Last
Globe Photos/Zuma Press/TNS
Estelle Harris, left, Jason Alexander and Jerry
Stiller in a scene from “Seinfeld.” The fictional
Costanza family celebrated Festivus on Dec.
23.
Tape,” where the main character records
himself speaking throughout his life. But
the airing of grievances became the driver
behind the real holiday.
“My dad would record everything —
grievances with Reader’s Digest, anger
about the British occupation in North
ern Ireland, and just general weirdness,”
O’Keefe said. “A lot of it was just discuss
ing how everyone at Reader’s Digest was an
a—, and how they were going to get what’s
coming to them.”
O’Keefe said his father shared similari
ties with Frank Constanza, played by the
late Jerry Stiller.
“Frank Costanza was a loudmouth guy
from Queens, and my dad was a loudmouth,
Irish guy from Jersey City. They both
shouted a lot, though Frank was a lot less
toxic, I guess,” O’Keefe said.
O’Keefe’s father also coined the term, “A
Festivus for the rest of us,” which ended up
in the show. But it had nothing to do with
class consciousness or the fight against
Christmas commercialism — it was about
the sudden death of O’Keefe’s grandmother
in 1976.
“My grandmother, Jeanette Marie
O’Connor O’Keefe, had just dropped dead
in a supermarket, and my dad loved his
mom,” O’Keefe said. “And so he said, ‘This
is a Festivus for the rest of us,’ meaning
those who remained among the living.”
EVENTS
Jolly Trolley Tours. 5:30-10 p.m. Dec. 22-
24, 29-31. Wilshire Wonderland of Lights,
849 Wilshire Road, Gainesville. 770-531 -
5500, lshubert@gainesvillega.gov. Free.
Christmas Eve Candlelight at Free Chapel.
4-5:30 p.m., 6-7:30 p.m. Dec. 24. Free
Chapel Gainesville, 3001 McEver Road,
Gainesville, nick.coggins@freechapel.org.
Free.
Candlelight Communion Service. 6-7 p.m.
Dec. 24. St. Paul United Methodist Church,
404 Washington St., Gainesville. 770-532-
2977, office@stpaulumcga.com. Free.
No School Nature Day. 10 a.m. to noon. Dec.
28. Elachee Nature Science Center, 2125
Elachee Drive, Gainesville. 770-535-1976.
$10.
Elachee 2023 First Day Hike. 10 a.m. to 1
p.m. Jan. 1. Elachee Nature Science Cen
ter, 2125 Elachee Drive, Gainesville. 770-
535-1976. Free.
Elachee Virtual Science Night. 7-8 p.m. Jan.
3. Elachee Nature Science Center, 2125
Elachee Drive, Gainesville. 770-535-1976.
Free.
Mommy and Me Nature Program. 10:30-
11:30 a.m. Jan. 4. Elachee Nature Science
Center, 2125 Elachee Drive, Gainesville.
770-535-1976.
Saturday Explorations at Elachee. 9 a.m. to 3
p.m. Jan. 7, 21,28. Elachee Nature Science
Center, 2125 Elachee Drive, Gainesville.
770-535-1976.
HeritageQuest Online for Genealogists. 10:30
a.m. to noon. Jan. 10. Gainesville Branch
Library, 127 Main St. NW, Gainesville. 770-
532-3311 ext. 4011, info@hallcountylibrary.
org. Free.
ONGOING
Lanierland Duplicate Bridge Club. 10:30 a.m.
to 2 p.m. daily. 3042 McEver Road, Gaines
ville. nedcleber@gmail.com.
YogaFit Gentle Yoga. 11:30 a.m. to 12:30
p.m. every Wednesday. Blackshear Place
Branch Library, 2927 Atlanta Highway,
Gainesville. 770-337-1572, dl9345@bell-
south.net. Free.
Murrayville Library Lego Club. 5-6 p.m. first
Mondays of the month. Murrayville Library,
4796 Thompson Bridge Road, Gainesville.
770-532-3311 ext. 171; bhood@hallcoun-
tylibrary.org. Free.
Gold Rush Quilting Guild. 10 a.m. to noon
first Wednesdays of the month. Friendship
Baptist Church, 3513 Westmoreland Road,
Publish your event
Don’t see your event here? Organizers
can go to gainesvilletimes.com/calendar
and submit events for publication online
and in print. Click the “+Add event”
button at the top right and follow the
prompts to add information and a photo.
Events publish at the editors’ discretion.
See more
Go to gainesvilletimes.com/calendar
for the full interactive calendar of events
throughout the region.
Cleveland, alenekempton@gmail.com.
Turning Leaves Book Club. 11:30 a.m. to 1
p.m. first Wednesdays of the month. Lin-
wood Nature Preserve Ecology Center, 118
Springview Drive, Gainesville. 770-535-
8293, karin.hicks@uga.edu.
Card workshop. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. first Sat
urdays of the month. Hall County Library
System, Gainesville branch, 127 Main St.
NW, Gainesville. 770-532-3311 ext. 4011,
gkoecher@hallcountylibrary.org.
Ekphrasis for the Masses. Noon to 1 p.m.
second Tuesdays of the month. Quinlan Vi
sual Arts Center, 514 Green St. NE, Gaines
ville. 770-536-2575, info@qvac.org. Free.
War Stories Book Club. 4-5 p.m. second
Thursdays of the month. Murrayville
Branch Library, 4796 Thompson Bridge
Road, Gainesville. 770-532-3311 ext. 171.
Free.
Discovery Saturdays. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. sec
ond Saturdays of the month. Elachee Na
ture Science Center, 2125 Elachee Drive,
Gainesville. 770-535-1976. $3 - $5.
Georgia Cross Stitchers. 10 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. second Saturdays of the month. Hall
County Library System, Gainesville Branch,
127 Main St. NW, Gainesville. 770-532-
3311 ext. 4011; gkoecher@hallcountyli-
brary.org. Free.
Homeschool Day. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. third
Thursdays of the month. Elachee Nature
Science Center, 2125 Elachee Drive,
Gainesville. 770-535-1976. $15.
Gainesville Lacers. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. third
Saturdays of the month. Hall County Li
brary System, Gainesville branch, 127
Main St. NW, Gainesville. 770-532-3311,
gkoecher@hallcountylibrary.org.
Tea with Jane Austen: A Reading Group.
3-4 p.m. fourth Fridays of the month. Hall
County Library System, Gainesville Branch,
127 Main St. NW, Gainesville. 770-532-
3311 ext. 4011, gkoecher@hallcountyli-
brary.org. Free.
THANK YOU
FOR READING
FULL ACCESS WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
The Times’ print edition brings you in-
depth coverage of the biggest local
news stories. To access all of the local
news our team is reporting, activate
your digital subscription. Go to www.
gainesvilletimes.com/register, and
after filling out the form, check the box
“already a subscriber.”
Print
Traditional print editions are currently
published Wednesday and Friday for
delivery by mail.
EPaper
This platform offers the traditional look
of a newspaper page but available on
your tablet or other device. Editions are
published Tuesday through Saturday,
with two of those being replicas of the
print edition. Access at gainesvilletimes.
com/epaper.
Website
Always stay up to date with us at
gainesvilletimes.com.
Newsletters
Sign up at gainesvilletimes.com/
newsletters to receive email newsletters.
■ Daybreak: A daily morning roundup of
the same local news you get in the paper
■ Refresh: An afternoon update of news
happening each weekday
■ Flight: A weekly guide to fun, food and
family in Northeast Georgia
■ Branch Out: A weekly update curating
news out of South Hall County
■ Extra Points: Latest local sports news,
delivered twice weekly
App
A sleek experience on your cellphone
that also offers notifications so you learn
the biggest news quickly. Learn more at
gainesvilletimes.com/app.
Social media
/gainesvilletimes
@gtimes
[EJ @gtimesnews
ABOUT US AND OUR VALUES
The public has a right to know, and The
Times is dedicated to that principle and the
“continued enlightenment and freedom of
the people of North Georgia,” as engraved
outside our building.
The pursuit of truth is a fundamental
principle of journalism. But the truth is not
always apparent or known immediately.
A professional journalist’s role is to
report as completely and impartially
as possible verifiable facts so readers
can, based on their own knowledge and
experience, determine what they believe
to be the truth. That is often an ongoing
pursuit as journalists work to uncover
stories and follow those stories wherever
they lead, regardless of preconceived
ideas.
The news they report is separate from
the opinions shared in the pages of The
Times, which include those by its editorial
board, columnists, political cartoonists
and readers who submit letters to the
editor.
The presentation of both news and
opinions is designed to educate, entertain
and foster community conversation.
Readers are encouraged to challenge and
sharpen their perceptions basved on that
presentation.
And we encourage readers to do the
same for us, offering news tips, criticisms
and questions.
As your honestly local news source, we
serve our readers first.
Find us on these platforms or
reach out to our newsroom at news@
gainesvilletimes.com or 770-718-3435.
She (Times
gainesvilletimes.com
A Metro Market Media Publication
© 2022, Vol. 75, No. 256
Sunday, December 25,2022
HOW TO REACH US
345 Green St. N.W., Gainesville, GA 30501
P.0. Box 838, Gainesville, GA 30503
(770) 532-1234
Hours: 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Mon.-Fri.
Drive thru open: 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Mon.-Fri.
Publisher Stephanie Woody
swoody@forsythnews.com
Group Editor Nate McCullough,
nmccullough@gainesvilletimes.com
Editor John Chambliss
jchambliss@gainesvilletimes.com
Director of Audience Shannon Casas,
scasas@gainesvilletimes.com
Controller Susan Andrews,
sandrews@gainesvilletimes.com
Production Dir. Mark Hall,
mhall@gainesvilletimes.com
TALK TO AN EDITOR, REPORT AN ERROR
If you spot an error, we want to correct
it immediately. We also want your
news tips and feature ideas.
Call: (770) 718-3435 or (770) 532-1234, Ext. 3435
Hours: 8:30 a.m. to midnight, Mon.-Fri.;
2:00 p.m. to midnight Sat & Sun.
e-mail: news@gainesvilletimes.com
TO PLACE AN AD
Classified: (770) 535-1199
Hours: 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Mon.-Fri.
E-mail: classifieds@gainesvilletimes.com
Display: (770) 532-1234, ext. 6380
Hours: 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
E-mail: displayads@gainesvilletimes.com
SUBSCRIPTIONS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE
HOME DELIVERY
Subscribe by phone or online:
(770) 532-2222 or (770) 532-1234. Ext. 2222
Hours: 8:00 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES INCLUDING TAX:
Midweek and Weekend Print Mail Delivery
(deftered throu^i USPS on Wed and Sat in Hal Canty)
All print subscriptions include unlimited access
to our website, our apps and the ePaper - the
digital replica of the print edition.
3 months - $54.84 6 months - $109.66
1 year - $219.35 EZ Pay - $17.02/month
All charges plus applicable sales tax are pay
able in advance. The publisher reserves the
right to change rates during the term of the
subscription. Notice of a rate change may be
made by mail to the subscriber, in the news
paper or other means. Rate changes may be
implemented by changing the duration of the
subscriptions.
Second class postage paid at Gainesville. GA.
Postmaster: Send address changes to: P.0. Box
838, Gainesville, GA 30503. Periodical postage
paid: USPS 212-860
Delivery problems call
(770) 532-2222
SINGLE COPY
The Times is available at retail stores,
newspaper racks and at The Times for
$1.00 Midweek Edition and
$2.00 Weekend Edition.
For our digital subscription offerings,
go to gainesvilletimes.com/subscribe
TODAY IN HISTORY
Associated Press
Mikhail Gorbachev flashes the decree relinquishing control of nuclear weapons to
Russian President Boris Yeltsin after its signature at the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 25,
1991, drawing a line under more than 74 years of Soviet history.
In A.D. 336, the first known commemoration of
Christmas on Dec. 25 took place in Rome.
In 1776, Gen. George Washington and his
troops crossed the Delaware River for a sur
prise attack against Hessian forces at Trenton,
New Jersey, during the American Revolution
ary War.
In 1818, “Silent Night (Stille Nacht)” was pub
licly performed for the first time during the
Christmas Midnight Mass at the Church of St.
Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.
In 1926, Hirohito became emperor of Japan,
succeeding his father, Emperor Yoshihito.
In 1977, comedian Sir Charles Chaplin died in
Switzerland at age 88.
In 1989, ousted Romanian President Nicolae
Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, were executed
following a popular uprising. Former baseball
manager Billy Martin, 61, died in a traffic ac
cident near Binghamton, New York.
In 1991, Soviet President Mikhail S. Gor
bachev went on television to announce his
resignation as the eighth and final leader of
a communist superpower that had already
gone out of existence.
In 1999, space shuttle Discovery’s astronauts
finished their repair job on the Hubble Space
Telescope and released it back into orbit.
In 2003,16 people were killed by mudslides
that swept over campgrounds in California’s
San Bernardino Valley. Pakistani President
Pervez Musharraf survived a second assas
sination bid in 11 days, but 17 other people
were killed.
In 2009, passengers aboard Northwest Airlines
Flight 253 foiled an attempt to blow up the
plane as it was landing in Detroit by seizing
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who tried to set
off explosives in his underwear. (Abdulmutal
lab later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to
life in prison.)
In 2020, a recreational vehicle parked in the de
serted streets of downtown Nashville exploded
early Christmas morning, damaging dozens of
buildings, causing widespread communica
tions outages and grounding holiday travel at
the city’s airport; investigators later determined
that the bomber, a 63-year-old Nashville-area
man, was killed in the explosion.
ENTERTAINMENT
Celebrity birthdays
Author Anne Roiphe is 87. Actor Hanna Schygulla is 79. R&B
singer John Edwards (The Spinners) is 78. Actor Gary Sandy is
77. Singer Jimmy Buffett is 76. Pro and College Football Hall-of-
Famer Larry Csonka is 76. Country singer Barbara Mandrell is
74. Actor Sissy Spacek is 73. Blues singer/guitarist Joe Louis
Walker is 73. Former White House adviser Karl Rove is 72. Ac
tor CCH Pounder is 70. Singer Annie Lennox is 68. Reggae
singer-musician Robin Campbell (UB40) is 68. Country singer
Steve Wariner is 68. Singer Shane MacGowan (The Pogues,
The Popes) is 65. Baseball Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson
is 64. The former chair of the Council of Economic Advisers,
Christina Romer, is 64. Actor Klea Scott is 54. Canadian Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau is 51. Rock musician Noel Hogan (The
Cranberries) is 51. Singer Dido is 51. Rook singer Mac Powell
(Third Day) is 50. R&B singer Ryan Shaw is 42. Country singer
Alecia Elliott is 40. Pop singers Jess and Lisa Origliasso (The
Veronicas) are 38. Actor Perdita Weeks is 37. Rock singer-musi
cian Lukas Nelson (Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real) is 34.
Guitarist:
No Journey
songs for
politics
Members of the rock
band Journey can’t quite
play their music any way
they want it, according to
lead guitarist Neal Schon.
On Wednesday, Variety
reported that Schon’s attor
ney served fellow bandmate
Jonathan Cain a cease-and-
desist letter for performing
Journey’s ubiquitous hit
“Don’t Stop Believin’” at a
November event for Donald
Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Cain
sang the beloved anthem
with other notable members
of the Republican party,
including Marjorie Tay
lor Greene and Kimberly
Guilfoyle.
Schon was not happy
about that.
“Although Mr. Cain is
free to express his personal
beliefs and associations,
when he does that on behalf
of Journey or for the band,
such conduct is extremely
deleterious to the Journey
brand as it polarizes the
band’s fans and outreach,”
Schon’s cease-and-desist let
ter reportedly said. “Jour
ney is not, and should not be,
political.
“Mr. Cain has no right to
use Journey for politics,” the
letter added. “His politics
should be his own personal
business. He should not be
capitalizing on Journey’s
brand to promote his per
sonal political or religious
agenda to the detriment of
the band.”
Los Angeles Times