Ever since the December 18, 1997 episode of the ‘Festivus’ holiday aired on ‘Seinfeld’, the holiday has turned into a pop cultural event that is celebrated in a growing amount of cities and towns around the United States.
In fact, there are quite a few companies online who sell Festivus Poles, or that allow you to download free Festivus invites (like the ones featured in the gallery), and more.
Festivus officially begins with the ‘airing of grievances’ and everyone who participates in this fun, albeit somewhat mean-spirited holiday, expects to be insulted or offended in some manner—they know their feelings may be hurt.
However, not everyone is comfortable when it comes to ‘airing grievances’. In the related trends cluster, you’ll find a few handouts and gifts that can do it for you. If someone has been an ass or you’d like to give them the finger, the umbrellas featured are perfect. Insult cards, subversive cross stitches and offensive toys may do the trick too.
That said, have a Happy Festivus! And remember, it ain’t over until the head honcho is pinned down.
Celebrating Fake Holidays
10 Festivus Appropriate Gifts
Trend Themes
1. Fake Holiday Celebration - Opportunity to create unique and playful products for fake holidays that build on existing cultural phenomena and traditional holiday models.
2. Offensive Gifting - The rise of demand for humorous, subversive and even vulgar gift options that resonate with a younger and more irreverent consumer demographic.
3. Holiday DIY Culture - Creative, alternative and personalized holiday expressions that directly engage and empower consumers while cutting out the corporate middleman.
Industry Implications
1. Gift and Novelty - Businesses can develop innovative and entertaining product lines inspired by pop culture phenomena to appeal to millennials and Generation Z consumers.
2. Greeting Cards - Companies can produce irreverent, blunt and often outrageously inappropriate holiday cards that appeal to niche, edgy and often sarcastic audiences enamored with outsider humor.
3. Craft and Hobby Stores - The continued popularity of DIY decoration and creative expression for traditional holidays can provide an opportunity for smaller creative retail spaces to capture a share of the holiday market through experiential engagement that beats out the mass-produced offerings from larger retail stores.