Festivus Yes! Bagels No!
December 9, 2008 10:28 AM Subscribe
I'm throwing a Festivus party. Help me plan some Festivus Miracles!
I'm inviting some family and friends over for a Festivus party the weekend before Xmas, as a fun and goofy celebration to complement our usual holiday festivities. I know, 1997 called and it wants its fake holiday back. Some of the guests are huge Seinfeld fans like me and some of them know nothing about the show.
I already has a pole, and I have a good handle on the food and drink (soup, hand-made pizza, a big salad [not prepared in the shower, though], marble rye, junior mints, peach schnapps, snapple etc.). I also have some Seinfeld DVDs that I'll load up on the TV.
I don't have many ideas for the Feats of Strength or Airing of Grievances though. I don't want any wrestling going on, and I don't want to start any arguments about who disappointed who this year. I'd also like to include some sort of Seinfeld trivia aspect, but I can't think of a way of doing it where everyone could participate. There are probably other great things I could do that I'm not thinking of. Any ideas?
I'm inviting some family and friends over for a Festivus party the weekend before Xmas, as a fun and goofy celebration to complement our usual holiday festivities. I know, 1997 called and it wants its fake holiday back. Some of the guests are huge Seinfeld fans like me and some of them know nothing about the show.
I already has a pole, and I have a good handle on the food and drink (soup, hand-made pizza, a big salad [not prepared in the shower, though], marble rye, junior mints, peach schnapps, snapple etc.). I also have some Seinfeld DVDs that I'll load up on the TV.
I don't have many ideas for the Feats of Strength or Airing of Grievances though. I don't want any wrestling going on, and I don't want to start any arguments about who disappointed who this year. I'd also like to include some sort of Seinfeld trivia aspect, but I can't think of a way of doing it where everyone could participate. There are probably other great things I could do that I'm not thinking of. Any ideas?
Seinfeld trivia pursuit?
posted by Mastercheddaar at 10:40 AM on December 9, 2008
posted by Mastercheddaar at 10:40 AM on December 9, 2008
Best answer: For a feat of strength, you could have a contest to see who can hold a dollar bill (or something else that is silly and light) straight in front of them with their arm outstretched the longest.
posted by warble at 10:41 AM on December 9, 2008
posted by warble at 10:41 AM on December 9, 2008
Seems like opening a jar of pickles would be the perfect Festivus feat of strength. You could air grievances about celebrities or family members who are not present, or possibly imaginary.
posted by chairface at 10:46 AM on December 9, 2008
posted by chairface at 10:46 AM on December 9, 2008
There is a "Seinfeld" version of Scene-It, which can entertain a lot of people - especially on "party mode," where the DVD just cycles through questions (instead of using the board and playing pieces).
posted by candyland at 10:48 AM on December 9, 2008
posted by candyland at 10:48 AM on December 9, 2008
Airing of fake grievances could be a lot of fun, especially if they start getting over-the-top. Get a couple of co-conspirators to start things off on the right foot, and it'll just flow into hilarity.
A good example: A female guest explains how (male guest with beard) is always flaunting his beard and how it exacerbates her feelings of facial-hair-inadequacy.
Song lyrics also work:
"Girl, I don't know, I don't know why
Can't get enough of your love babe"
posted by explosion at 10:53 AM on December 9, 2008
A good example: A female guest explains how (male guest with beard) is always flaunting his beard and how it exacerbates her feelings of facial-hair-inadequacy.
Song lyrics also work:
"Girl, I don't know, I don't know why
Can't get enough of your love babe"
posted by explosion at 10:53 AM on December 9, 2008
Airing of fake grievances could be a lot of fun, especially if they start getting over-the-top.
You could modify the old 'tape the name of a historical figure to each guest's back and have them try to guess who they are' game to accommodate said grievances. Print up a list of outlandish complaints, attach them, and award prizes for those who get it right.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 11:01 AM on December 9, 2008 [2 favorites]
You could modify the old 'tape the name of a historical figure to each guest's back and have them try to guess who they are' game to accommodate said grievances. Print up a list of outlandish complaints, attach them, and award prizes for those who get it right.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 11:01 AM on December 9, 2008 [2 favorites]
One of the funniest ideas at a New Year's party I went to: the hosts took a polaroid of each incoming guest and everyone also wrote their resolution on a strip of paper and tossed it in a fishbowl. Later in the evening, each photo was randomly assigned a resolution. I ended up getting "I resolve to stop snorting coke off Carissa's a**" Hilarious.
Anyways, the same thing could be done for the airing of grievances depending on how many people are attending. You could have people write their anonymous grievances on strips of paper (fake or real grievances I suppose, you can set ground rules), and then do the photo thing or just read them out loud after dinner.
posted by sararah at 11:08 AM on December 9, 2008 [1 favorite]
Anyways, the same thing could be done for the airing of grievances depending on how many people are attending. You could have people write their anonymous grievances on strips of paper (fake or real grievances I suppose, you can set ground rules), and then do the photo thing or just read them out loud after dinner.
posted by sararah at 11:08 AM on December 9, 2008 [1 favorite]
If none of your guests work at the same company, you could do real workplace grievances. Nobody gets personally involved, yet most people can probably identify with the BS that seems to happen everywhere. You'd want to keep the grievances light and funny, though - nothing serious or creepy, just stuff like the world's slowest fax machine, the most idiotic mission statement, the thermostat wars in the cube farm, etc.
Guests could present their grievances formally, like lawyers arguing their case. Award prizes for best delivery, most stranger-than-fiction event, and so on.
posted by Quietgal at 11:39 AM on December 9, 2008
Guests could present their grievances formally, like lawyers arguing their case. Award prizes for best delivery, most stranger-than-fiction event, and so on.
posted by Quietgal at 11:39 AM on December 9, 2008
One year, some coworkers and I read the The Strike (Festivus) Script during our holiday lunch. We each took a character and read the part. You could do a reading of the script and then have a trivia contest.
Maybe for feats of strength, lift some TVs? Mandelbaum, Mandelbaum, Mandelbaum!
posted by studentbaker at 11:47 AM on December 9, 2008
Maybe for feats of strength, lift some TVs? Mandelbaum, Mandelbaum, Mandelbaum!
posted by studentbaker at 11:47 AM on December 9, 2008
Everyone could try to come up with crazy movie titles and taglines.
posted by drezdn at 12:22 PM on December 9, 2008
posted by drezdn at 12:22 PM on December 9, 2008
For the grievances have debatable Seinfeld questions that people may talk about, and must talk like Frank. If people strongly disagree, you can get a could argument going. Some examples:
1) Isn't the soup Nazi episode overrated? Really it wasn't one of the best.
2) Best/Worst episode
3) Why was the last episode so bad?
4) Were Jerry or George Jewish?
5) What's the worst thing George did?
Feats of Strength:
Isn't this what alcohol is for? (And may lead to the real thing!)
If you have trivia, the losing team/person could have to do something such as dance like Elaine, or be forced to eat just the bottom part of a muffin, etc.
posted by Is This Thing On? at 12:22 PM on December 9, 2008
1) Isn't the soup Nazi episode overrated? Really it wasn't one of the best.
2) Best/Worst episode
3) Why was the last episode so bad?
4) Were Jerry or George Jewish?
5) What's the worst thing George did?
Feats of Strength:
Isn't this what alcohol is for? (And may lead to the real thing!)
If you have trivia, the losing team/person could have to do something such as dance like Elaine, or be forced to eat just the bottom part of a muffin, etc.
posted by Is This Thing On? at 12:22 PM on December 9, 2008
Or you could buy my book "Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us" OR watch this video for tips.
posted by AllenSalkin at 2:12 PM on December 9, 2008
posted by AllenSalkin at 2:12 PM on December 9, 2008
You'll need something Superman-ish just laying around.
posted by whatisish at 5:20 PM on December 9, 2008
posted by whatisish at 5:20 PM on December 9, 2008
Also, be sure to give your guests cards informing them that a donation has been made in their name to The Human Fund.
posted by funkbrain at 9:34 PM on December 9, 2008
posted by funkbrain at 9:34 PM on December 9, 2008
Hide a wallet somewhere and whoever finds it wins (Note: the wallet cannot be velcro).
posted by drezdn at 10:46 AM on December 10, 2008
posted by drezdn at 10:46 AM on December 10, 2008
Have a "Dance like Elaine" contest?
As long as you're cuing up the stereo, don't forget the song Desperado.
posted by pmurray63 at 1:20 PM on December 10, 2008
As long as you're cuing up the stereo, don't forget the song Desperado.
posted by pmurray63 at 1:20 PM on December 10, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by DrDreidel at 10:34 AM on December 9, 2008 [1 favorite]